


EnRapture

by Mistweaver



Category: BioShock, Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Amnesia, Angst, Blackmail, Cannon Typical Violence, Game Spoilers, HUGE manga spoilers, Horror, M/M, Manga Spoilers, Mentions of addiction, Mentions of non-con, Mild Gore, Minor Character Death, NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS, Non-Canon Age Difference, Slow Build, Temporary Character Death, all warnings will be flagged before hand, badass Eren, crossover AU, eventual smut/E rating, gun horror, mentions of abuse, mentions of prostituion, puppy Eren love, so just fyi, sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-12
Updated: 2015-07-12
Packaged: 2018-03-22 12:04:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3728257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mistweaver/pseuds/Mistweaver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Remove your helmet.”<br/>“Now take this pistol.”<br/>“Place it on your temple."<br/>“Fire.”<br/>He did as he was told.</p><p> </p><p>He died that day. By his own tormented hand, Eren Jeager died on the cold, filthy ground, his lifeless eyes staring into the nothingness that awaited him. At that moment, his story had ended.</p><p>But someone had been watching him and his tragic story. And that someone decided to rewrite it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Click, Boom

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! For those of you who have followed me from my last version, thanks for coming back. Wow. You're troopers.
> 
> For those of you who are new here, I have another version of this story under the name of this series (The Depths of Rapture), but I didn't quite like the way I had written it so I wanted to start fresh. You won't ever have to read the old version to get this because each chapter is pretty much the same, just... remastered?
> 
> Anyways this is my SNK/Bioshock AU. For those who know of the games, it is a cross between all three and don't worry, I promise it'll make sense. Well, it'll PROBABLY make sense... (It does to me at least, but that isn't really saying anything.) For those of you who DON'T know the series, I'll explain everything as best as I can, but I've also made a wiki for my AU on Google docs which I'll link at the end. :)
> 
> This is technically still my first attempt at a long chaptered AU, so PLEASE tell me what you think. I really appreciate it and I hope you enjoy!
> 
> P.S. My writing gets better!! At least I think!

**Chapter 1**

**Click, Boom**

 

A ball of fire flew past his shoulder, barely missing the raven black hair of the older boy at his side. It sizzled out with a puff of steam against the waterfall of ocean water leaking through the rusted frame of the hallway. Seeing the water and hearing the thundering feet from the horde of splicers behind them, Eren lifted the smaller boy at his side and carried him over the water as he trudged through it himself, boots firmly gripping the slick tile. A rain of bullets splattered the wall at their side in a shower of sparks. Instantly, Eren turned his back to the spray, feeling a few shots glace against his suit and deflect away but not without leaving a splatter of agonizing bruises across his shoulders. He nearly lost his footing with the force of the impacts and the cowering weight under his arms did nothing to help his balance. Ignoring the shout of protest, Eren effortlessly lifted his companion out of his arms and into the air instead of dropping him, his hand thrumming with the power of telekinesis.

 

“Come back here, little kitties! I just want to play with your coooorpses!”

 

“Quick, while they’re in the water!” The voice above Eren’s head yelled over the roar of gunfire. When the pair reached dry ground, Eren released his companion from the air and set him on the ground at his side before looking behind him. Shoulder trembling with the energy he felt charging under his skin, he released a bolt of lightning into the salty filth at the splicers feet. Before the crackling ball had even connected with the water, he had turned and continued running. He resumed dragging the older boy with him and ignored the screams of agony that came from behind.

 

“-hit, Houdini splicer!”

 

Her shrill scream shattered through the air. “You fuckin’ BASTARDS!”

 

With an explosion of red and purple, a gnarled woman appeared before them, hands crackling with balls of fire. She threw them with an enraged shriek, once again narrowly missing the shorter boy and the other falling solidly on Eren’s arm as he charged forward with all his power, boots thundering across the floor. He pinned her against a rotting door, the wood creaking with the weight of her body. Hands flexing within the massive drill that encased his entire arm, Eren revved the engine, causing the drill head to spin grotesquely through her torso. She screamed at him in agony and rage, clicking her teeth in his face with a snarl before falling limp. Eren pulled away, letting her body fall into a pitiful heap.

 

Not even pausing to give her a moment’s thought, Eren turned just in time to feel the edge of a flying spear graze past the metal of his helmet and embed itself next to it.

 

Reaching up, he placed his foot on the wall and heaved. The spear tore from the wall easily, metal and cement breaking away with it in a shower of dust. Eren tightened his grip before smashing it over the head of the spider splicer that jumped from the ceiling behind him. The body fell away harmlessly, metal claws on the stumps of the splicers wrists clattering to the floor. The telltale clicking of steel against the walls and ceiling fell silent, as the corpse's friends retreated in fear. Another lone splicer came around the hall corner with a hiss, spit flying from his oozing lips. Eren prepared himself to charge. He flexed his hand, letting the growl of the engine rattle through his arm. The muscles in his legs coiled, poised to throw himself forward when roar of the drill sputtered. The sound of it powering down, even with his finger tightly pulling the trigger, brought a chill to his spine.

 

The drill head spun uselessly to a stop, rotten gore falling from it’s edges. Eren shook it once, a last desperate attempt, but the gauge in his helmet told him it was useless. It had been running on fumes alone for the last few minutes, but Eren knew this was it. The drill was out of fuel.

 

At the other end of the hallway, the splicer stared them down. He had been eyeing the drill nervously, but hearing the engine fall silent had him cockily sauntering closer. His lips pulled back in a yellow smile and he chuckled wetly before calling out, “Look’s like you’re _tool_ is out of _spunk_ , kiddy. Such a shame, considerin’ you’re so young n’ all!”

 

Numb desperation filled Eren. He scanned the area for anything he could use while the splicer got closer and closer with each step. Eren was calculating what it would take to run past the man when a gentle tap on his arm drew his attention. Looking down, the raven was staring pointedly off to the right of the splicer but he made no sound. His eyes darted back to Eren’s face and he gently tipped his head. Glancing over, Eren saw what his charge was directing him to and quietly grunted. Taking a step forward, he raised his drill before him when once again, he felt a hand on his arm. This time however, it was to hold him back. He silently looked down in question. His companion shook his head slowly. “No, throw it.”

 

The order confused Eren, but he had no time to question it. Not that he ever would. An order was an order, and he was created to fulfill it.

 

Moving quickly, Eren pushed his companion behind him, shielding him completely with his body and threw out his arm. A rattling sound came from the suit as Eren strained to use his power. The splicer flinched, expecting something to happen. When no ball of fire or bolt of lightning flew his way, he started to run forward and that was his first and last mistake. The splicer’s mind just barely recognized the fact that Eren’s arm was swinging to his side, thrumming with energy, before it stopped and swung back to point at him. His deformed body responded with surprising speed by raising the arm that held his pistol. He saw the large mass hurtling towards him and in his panic, he fired.

 

Which ultimately caused him to explode into a pillar of flames.

 

Eren watched blankly while the man burned, his body shielding the older boy from the heat. He silently wondered why he was ordered to throw the gasoline, rather than fuel his drill with it. When another wave of splicers came around the corner and shied away as they stumbling upon the wall of flames, Eren understood.

 

Taking his chance to run once more, Eren lifted his charge and sprinted away, putting distance between him and the temporarily distracted horde of splicers. He moved swiftly, but he kept a constant eye on his surroundings, looking for any sort of weapon that could help. The streets were uncharacteristically abandoned and empty of any forgotten guns, ammunition or even garbage. It wasn’t uncommon for the streets to be cleared by ruffians or splicers in their search for money or Adam, but the emptiness unsettled him deep within his bones.

 

With their rare moment of peace, Eren took mental stock of what tools he had left. His despair grew when he finished in less than a second. He had dropped all his guns along the way, either having been damaged or empty of ammunition.The bullets had torn through their targets with unparalleled accuracy while Eren robotically emptied clip after clip until he had nothing left. Countless splicers fell under Eren’s defensive wrath and yet they still kept coming. Armed with only his fuel-less drill and a limited amount of Eve in his system, Eren was running out of ideas, and with it, running out of hope.

 

But failure was not an option. Eren had been given an order. He had made a promise...

 

 

_“Hey, you’re supposed to follow my every command right?” Rough, steel eyes caught Eren’s gaze from beneath the mask. Eren nodded once, slowly. “I see. Then,” his voice grew softer but the bitterness remained, “can you promise me something? Can you promise that you’ll take me away from this place?” Eren nodded again._

_Silence fell between the two. Eren remained where he was, blankly watching his charge. After some time, the older boy weakly stood from where he sat against the dripping wall and carefully made his way over to his guardian. He slowly lifted his hand until it rested against the rough material of the helmet, just beneath the small pane of glass. Gently, delicately, the boy’s thumb grazed across the material above Eren’s cheek, ignoring the red that smeared across it. The gesture was warm, caring… nostalgic. But Eren felt nothing. And somewhere deep inside, he knew it should have pained him greatly. Instead, he just stared and waited. The hand fell away. “I see.”_

_The bitter hope that spawned behind the pools of silver tugged on the chains that concealed what remained of Eren’s heart. “Look at me and listen closely because this is an order.” His voice grew in strength, “Get me out of this god forsaken city."_

_Eren properly faced his charge, blood boiling from the command and lifted his arms in salute. He didn't notice how the shorter man bit his lip and looked away from the salute, blinking away the moisture under his lashes._

_Eren now had a purpose. And he was created fulfill it._

 

Being unfamiliar with his surroundings finally backfired on the pair. Turning a corner brought them to a dead end, but there was no room to backtrack. Eren set the boy down behind him and turned, ready to make his stand.

 

Out of nowhere, a explosive roar echoed through the empty hall and Eren was thrown through the crumbling building to his side. The wall fell easily, bringing the ceiling and debris with it. It rained down chunks of cement on both Eren and his attacker. Thunderous blows cracked against his helmet, knuckles denting the sides closer and closer to his face with each strike. He tried to lean away, but he was pinned to the floor by the brute, legs straddling his waist. A large block of cement fell directly on the brute splicer head, but he paid it no mind and continued to viciously rain punches down on Eren. The wind rushed from his lungs, depriving his mind of its normal, clear thoughts. The weight of the brute, on top of the buildings remains, left Eren immobile and struggling to breathe. He attempted to pull one arm loose from the brute's iron bind. The force of each punch had the monster sliding forward with each swing, giving Eren the chance to finally pry his arm free with a gasp. Without a second of hesitation, Eren to set a Wind Trap on his chest, causing the brute to catapult into the air like a rag doll. The force of the pressure cracked something painfully in his chest, stealing his breath further and he gasped thinly around the pain. Eren moved almost entirely on instinct at this point. Faster than his thoughts could process,his right hand was rising from his side, waiting below the falling body of the brute. A wet, sickening sound followed as the goliath of a man fell onto the point. He weakly clawed at the dented helmet below him, an agonized mumble tumbling from his lips before he spluttered and lay still. Arm collapsing beneath the weight of the monster, Eren shook his hand, forcing the brute to tumble off the drill with a thud. He lay still a few feet away and was buried beneath the tumbling debris in seconds.

 

Rolling away just in time, Eren felt the final pieces of the building glance off his helmet, causing it to painfully dig into his shoulders before falling against the back of his knees. Lifting himself upright with trembling arms, shook away most of the cement but he had to twist awkwardly to free his legs from the larger pieces. His chest now angled somewhat upright, his breath came more easily, but he had no time to regain it properly. He used all his remaining strength trying to shove away the debris that pinned him to the floor when a barely audible, strained voice called out.

 

“G-get awa-!”

 

Hearing the voice come from behind him, Eren turned his head and those hawk-like eyes made contact with his own through the cracked glass of his helmet. They were wide and they were afraid.

 

The raven haired boy was completely surrounded. Maniacal laughter came from all sides, rotten teeth gleaming in the fire-light as a trio of splicers inched their way closer. Their mangled faces were mostly hidden under a cowl of darkness but as they moved forward, the light slowly fell upon their disfigured heads and profiles. The look of horror the boy gave was caused by the rusty, blood covered blades in their hands, not their grotesque scars and oozing wounds. One dared to reach out and stroke his hair, causing him to recoil in shock and disgust. He held a shard of shaking glass in the hand outstretched before him in defense, blood bubbling from the crimson line it drew in his palm. The splicer danced away when the raven swung his arm up, trying ward his attackers off. The woman laughed at him but quickly fell silent as she swatted the glass away, not even flinching when it drew a sliver of red against her ashen skin. It flew from his hand and shattered against the wall. Watching his final defense fall to pieces on the ground, the raven fell still.

 

“Look at him, darling. The poor lamb looks sick, he’s white as a sheet!”

 

“Too true, dear, too true. He was awfully cold to the touch as well! And look at that, he’s wounded! Whatever should we do, brother mine?”

 

“Oh, c-cut the shit out man! Y-you know he’s m-my type! G-give me just a few with him, y-ya?”

 

They had backed the terror stricken boy into a wall. The sheet metal rattled as his back as he pressed against it for support, his legs barely holding him upright.

 

“Well, I don’t know, brother mine. He’s far too tempting to share.” The splicer leaned forward, his face now inches from the raven’s. His filthy hand came up and tightly gripped the other’s chin, forcing their eyes to meet. Now only a breath away, the splicer smiled cruelly and whispered against his captive’s lips, “I may just have to have a taste myse-”

 

He never finished his sentence. A large iron rivet sailed through the air and embedded itself in his right temple, knocking his head to the side and causing him to skid across the floor in a heap. The moment of shock wore off quickly.

 

“BROTHER!”

 

The two remaining splicers turned on Eren, their captive momentarily forgotten. He stood a few meters away, arm held forward and shaking as the remainder of his Eve melted away with the telekinetic attack. He now only had the point of his drill and the strength of his arm to protect them. Like a bull, the male splicer charged Eren, fury rolling off him in waves.

 

“You’ll pay for that you fucker!”

 

Eren prepared to use the splicer’s force against him and impale the man on his drill, but before the point could make contact with his sickly flesh, with a flash of red and purple, the splicer disappeared. As the mist quickly faded away, Eren saw that the woman had forced the raven haired boy away from the wall. She had her arm wrapped around his neck, the other holding his hands roughly behind his back. Once again, Eren made eye contact with the most important person in his life, and saw the terror still remained. Yet behind the overwhelming fear, sadness pooled in the depths of that liquid silver. It sent a spear of emotion through the abyss of Eren’s heart.

 

Eren could only stand and watch as the scene before him played out like a bad dream; agonizingly slow but horribly, horribly real.

 

“This is for my husband, you abomination!”

 

Those silver eyes widened even further in agony when the crusted tip of the blade emerged from his stomach. Through the force that bound their souls as one, Eren felt the blade sear into his back as if he were the one impaled. The pain mirrored onto his body was overwhelming, but the anguish in knowing he failed was infinite.

 

The splicer turned to the boy’s neck and cooed, “Sorry darling, maybe next time.” She finished off by licking a trail from his chin to his ear and unceremoniously threw him to his knees. Her crackling laughter echoed off the walls in the deafening silence that followed. Her victorious smile could have tainted the sun itself but Eren didn't notice. He never once looked away from the smaller, trembling figure on his knees. When the raven's body convulsed visibly, Eren's boots clattered against the ground as he began to shift forward. The boy lifted a bloody hand from his stomach and reached out to Eren, eyes losing their focus. He smiled sadly through the pain. Even with the metallic thunder of his stride, Eren caught the whisper that slipped through the now scarlet lips.

 

“…ry.”

 

Suddenly, but not soon enough, the ashen boy was cradled in his arms. His rough, gloved hands desperately brushed away the sweat soaked hair from those pained, steel eyes. Eren felt the warm blood on his knees, flowing freely from his friend onto the filth covered floor. The boy’s hand lifted to the glass of Eren’s helmet and he felt it rest there tenderly as if it might shatter to pieces under his touch. Leaning into it slightly, Eren sought the warmth it now blatantly lacked. Looking down into the face of his raven, he raised his hand and did the same. Eren saw the way the silver eyes widened in shock, how they warmed and smiled up at him and how they watered from sorrow. Eren saw how he swallowed thickly around the pain and tears. He saw how the frail, icy hand fell back to his side. He saw the smile slowly slip from the ravens face, and finally, Eren saw his chest fall still.

 

In that moment, Eren felt his heart seize and shatter into thousands of pieces. He screamed his awakening agony at the top of his lungs. The sound echoed through the building, shaking the walls and rattling the lights in their sockets. It went on and on as he stared into the void gaze of the most important person in his world.  Through the bond that tied their souls, Eren felt the connected between them flicker into nothingness and he felt himself begin to fade with it. His reason to live and breathe could no longer do the same.

 

And it was destroying him.

 

Over the sound of his agony, he didn't notice the sound of rapid, precise gunfire and screams of fear and death. He didn't see the men surround him and his precious friend, nor did he sense the man walk up in front of him and snap his fingers. What he did feel was the body in his arms being ripped from him releasing what final sliver of heat that remained. Furious, Eren rose to his feet but before he could raise the drill by his side, the face of the man before him came into view. And with it, Eren lost the will to move.

 

The man stared down his nose at Eren and spoke, venom laced in every word.

 

“Who do you think you are?”

 

Voice foreign to his own ears after ages of silence and broken from the volume of his pain, Eren spoke to the man through the glass of his helmet. “I am De-”

 

“I know who you are, Delta. That is not what I was asking.” The man’s lips curled back in a snarl as he continued, “What I asked is, who do you THINK YOU ARE?!”

 

His voice rose and struck Eren like a physical slap to the face. “You dare assume that you are powerful enough -that you are WORTHY enough- to protect the Lamb of the people? You sicken me!” He stare bore into Eren with unconditioned fury and disgust. “Look at what you’ve done, you miserable scum. Look at the result of your arrogance. Look at outcome caused by your failure!”

 

The lifeless body of his charge was thrown on the ground behind the man, blood staining the ground further. The body limply rolled once and stopped at the heel of Eren’s interrogator, steel eyes staring lifelessly past Eren. Not even a flicker of light shone in their depths and he couldn’t bare it. Eren choked out another sob and turned his head away in anguish.

 

“Delta,” the man said, “ your existence here is no longer needed.” The man leaned forward, breath misting against Eren’s blood-soaked helmet and Eren felt the pity in those eyes pierce right through him. “Without Le- no, without the Lamb by your side, you have no purpose. Without him by your side, you regress to a worthless piece of filth that doesn’t belong in this world.” There was a pregnant pause while the words sunk in and bit deeply. “You don’t deserve to walk in the world he walked.”

 

Eren couldn’t even bring himself to look up from the red that coated his hands.

 

“For your sins against the people, you deserve the loneliness that awaits you.” He sneered. “But today I feel merciful.” With a deep breath, the man regained some composure and spoke again. “Delta. Kneel before me.”

 

Absolute resignation and misery filled Eren to the bone. It weighed on Eren’s heart and mind like the depths itself was closing in on him. So he did what he was told.

 

“You ran off with our Lamb and you failed to protect him. You failed him, Delta.”

 

_I failed him._

 

“His death is on your shoulders because you were unworthy.”

_I was unworthy._

 

“Remove your helmet.” He did as he was told.

 

_I failed him._

 

“Take this pistol.” He did as he was told.

 

_I was unworthy._

“Place it on your temple.” He did as he was told.

 

_I failed him._

 

_I am unworthy._

 

“Fire.”

 

Eren did as he was told.

 

**Chapter 1**

**Click, Boom**

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(I can't figure out how to post the link in the notes... yay. So click **[HERE](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yLxr97RypnC00hqZdYL0jwNfe2H172jUjC9GBeWbLic/edit?usp=sharing)** for my AU Wiki!)

 

 


	2. A Change of Fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a piece of poop and I don't deserve any of you. I'm so sorry this is late. Real life sucks.

**Chapter 2**

**A Change of Fate**

 

Two pair of eyes watched silently from the shadows. They had been there from the very start, simply watching the scene unfold. The sister trembled in the morose silence when Delta’s hand fell heavily to his side and the gun clattered from his hand onto the floor. Her twin brother never turned away from the disgusting scene, but his hands clenched tightly at his side, fingernails carving crescents into the meat of his palm. His strength finally gave way when the kneeling body was kicked to the ground, steel toed boots raining angry blows on the lifeless form, but it wasn’t even the brutality that made him sick to his stomach.

 

It was the laughter.

 

A foul voice silenced the rest, “Strip it. Leave it’s remains to the vermin. They’ve earned it.”

 

“Yes, sir.” The lackeys stopped their actions and bent over, beginning to remove the suit piece by piece. One of them stopped however, standing up and looking toward his boss hesitantly. His eyebrows drew together and he opened his mouth to speak but seemingly thought better of it and halted his words. The other man noticed however and asked aloud, “What is it?”

 

“Well sir,” the man shuffled nervously under the intense stare of his superior, “I was wondering what we should do with them splicers, sir. Should we hide them? We don’t want them others figurin’ out that it was you who killed them.” He glanced up shyly from the ground, wary of the other man’s reaction.

 

A deep hum was his only reply for a few nervous heartbeats. But before he could stutter out an apology, a hand clapped him on the shoulder. “Well done, Doug. That kind of thinking will have you at the top within no time at all. Do with them what you wish. Just make it discreet.” His lips curled back sickly, “I don’t want to have to pay them for their silence, as well as their service.”

 

“T-thank you, sir! I will, no problem.” The lackey’s eyes wide, he nodded enthusiastically towards his hero. He turned and stomped over to the dead splicers, humming happily. In no time at all, he had a splicer under each arm and was effortlessly walking down the hallway and around the corner, where he disappeared from sight.

 

The twins continued to watch on. No matter how much they wanted to, even when their very bones screamed at them to step forward, they couldn't make their move. Not yet.

 

After a few minutes, the corpse was stripped of his gear and lay discarded in a pool of his own blood, a measly pair of pants the only article of clothing left behind. The leader smiled contently at the sight. Just as opened his mouth to speak, a barely audible gasp halted his words and an even crueler smile pulled at his lips.

 

“So. It finally wore off.” He turned around and looked to the young man by his feet, weakly trying to lift himself onto his arms. “Welcome back to us, Lamb.”

 

The raven’s arms gave out; he just barely had the strength to turn his head and meet the gaze of the man above him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t even see the sneer on the older man’s face. Not with all the tears that clouded his vision. “Y… yo- ba…”

 

“I take it you enjoyed the show?” A dry snicker just barely smothered the pained sob that shook the raven’s frail body. “I’m relieved! A lot of hard work and good money was put into making this for you, my Lamb. I went to great expense to purchase that serum as well. It had to be tested a few times of course, I wouldn’t want you permanently damaged because of it, but to find a poison that paralyzes the victim yet forces consciousness… what a brilliant creation. Amazing, what you can find in this city of mine.” With a flick of his wrist, another man came forward. “Take him home.”

 

Turning to a man at his side, the boss whispered, “Start the training tonight. We have no time to waste.” When his lackey nodded, he added as an afterthought, “Enjoy yourself.” His answer was a large, wet smile.

 

Anguished protests just barely carried their way over to where the twins waited. The raven’s volume grew with each one and the sister had to close her eyes to the tormented screams. It tore through her, knowing they had nothing to do with the blood that seeped from under his shirt. She buried her face into her brother’s shoulder, dampening the sleeve.

 

He placed a gentle hand on her head. “We will right this wrong, I promise you." There was a faint tremble in his voice, "We’ll win this time.”

 

“I’ll hold you to that,” she sniffled.

 

Turning his eyes from the scene before them, he looked down at her and smiled sadly. “I know you will.”

 

The two of them watched the group leave and when all fell silent, they remained still. They carefully watched the lifeless body under the flickering lamplight and they waited. When a few rats scurried into view and made their way to the corpse, the sister stood, her patience gone.

 

“Not yet.” She turned a questioning gaze to her brother, confused by the hand barring her way. “We are not the only ones watching, remember.”

 

True to his word, another figure entered the scene. He stepped as if through water, each pace labored and heavy until he fell to his knees at the body’s side. He never said a word, and for what felt like eternity, he remained still until he finally began to move. It was painfully obvious how much his filthy hand trembled, but even still it reached out and brushed away a lock of blood matted hair from the lifeless eyes. His thumb ran along the cooling brow until it rested weakly above the space where the deathblow had been dealt. It hovered uncertainly before he pulled away and let it rest at his side. Slowly, the man’s head sunk and his shoulders began to shake.

 

The brother sighed. “And that is our cue.” Rising from his crouch, he offered a hand to his sister who took it gently in her own. “Are you ready?” He looked into her eyes and smiled tightly when he saw his resolve mirrored back at him.

 

She nodded, wiping her eyes dry. “Let us go change fate.”

 

And with that, they stepped out into the light.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Eren had never expected silence to be so deafening.

 

He wasn't sure when his mind had sunken into the darkness, but when he rose from it, all he knew was silence and ice. Eren could feel his own breath freezing across his lips and tickling the end of his nose. It brushed against the shards of ice that sprinkled his eyelashes and he wanted to blink away the sensation, but Eren found he couldn't move. His whole body ached, yet in comparison, his head screamed in agony. He wanted to claw through his own skin with his bare hands, to do something, to do anything to ease the pain, but he couldn't bring himself to lift a single finger.

 

He was so cold. So cold…

 

A finger rapped against the glass, and Eren came to with a jolt. He tried to open his eyes to see the presence he felt against the glass just inches from his face, but they were still sealed shut. He kept trying, and eventually, the thin layer of ice that coated his eyes cracked and a sliver of light broke through. He was instantly blinded by it and he almost closed them once more in reflex. He stopped himself when he finally saw the shape of a face on the other side of the glass. Eren eyed a flash of teeth before they vanished from sight. The sudden absence of it left him feeling overwhelmingly lonely.

 

The voices reached his ears seconds later and the volume of the tones just barely brushed against his interest. An angry voice roared through the glass, but it felt like the fury was not directed at him. In response, a second voice excitedly spat out a reply and the argument drifted back and forth.

 

It took all of Eren’s will to retain his consciousness but he could feel himself slipping back into the depths of the icy void. Before it consumed him once more, he barely registered a new, larger hand place itself against the glass and the promise whispered along with it.

 

And then everything was black.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The first thing Eren felt was the air rushing past his face and the world tipping sharply.

 

The second thing he felt was the impact of his face crashing into the tiled floor.

 

Eren lay motionless against the floor for a few heartbeats, not finding the will to move even an inch. But when his lungs began to scream for air, he finally remembered to force himself to breathe. In a panic, he sucked in air and let it fill his lungs before losing it all as he coughed out the dust and grime he took in with it. Eren choked on the air, tears streaming out of his eyes in his desperation and it took a while before he slowly, steadily breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth.

 

With his muscles groaning in protest, Eren managed to pull his arms up to his head and under his chest, giving his face some room against the hard floor. It took all of his focus to simply lift his head, but it helped ease each breath and slowly, his strength began to seep back into him. It pained him more than he was expecting, causing him to cough and hack around the dryness of his throat but swallowing did little to ease the sandy taste in his mouth. He kept at it again and again until his body finally remembered what to do. Mercifully, moisture seeped back into his mouth.

 

Eren gingerly rose from the ground, knees beneath him and hands on the floor, trying to stop the world from spinning around him. The blood rushed around his ears, drowning out his moans of discomfort. His eyes swam as well, the stained tiles beneath his bare hands zooming in and out randomly.

 

“Nngh,” he groaned out as he gently rocked back onto his heels. Breathing required a lot less effort while sitting up like this, so Eren took as much as he could, greedily sucking in deep breaths to clear his mind. The nausea and dizziness lasted a long time and just when Eren was wondering if it would ever pass, it began to ebb away. It was only then that Eren realized that the high pitched ringing in his ears was actually coming from outside of his head.

 

Eren carefully turned his head to survey the room. There wasn’t too much to take in and Eren was extremely grateful for that.  When his eyes finally finished scanning his desolate surroundings, they fell onto the little black box that bleated irritably at him from across the room. Eren was unsure of what to do next.  He stared the box down and tried to figure out what it was exactly, when it finally came to him. He spotted the little antenna sticking out of the top, along with the speaker that squawked an annoying little trill of music, and Eren put two and two together. Not trusting himself to stand, Eren shuffled awkwardly along the ground until he came nose to nose with the filthy seat the radio rested on.

 

He stared suspiciously at it for a while, watching the little green light on the top blink on and off. After a few seconds, the pattern would break, the call timer having ended, before starting back up again with its annoying ring, begging to be answered. The sharp pitch of the ringing sent stabs of pain through Eren’s temple and he wanted it to stop immediately, but the only way to stop the sound and give him some peace was to answer the radio. Deciding that the device itself was harmless, Eren gave in to its plea.

 

Cautiously, Eren reached out to it. His hands still shook slightly, but he gritted his teeth and pressed the large, red button that read ‘answer’ and waited.

 

“-ji, I told you he is refusing to answer the- oh. He answered.”

 

There was an awkward pause and the sound of shuffling before the man on the radio cleared his throat. While waiting, Eren’s eyes wearily wandered across the crumbling walls that stood in front of him. Before his gaze returned to the radio, something black and shiny caught his eye. It was small and circular with a little red light flashing on top of it. His eyes narrowed and he straightened his back, almost unconsciously.

 

“-ey, kid, can you hear me? Hello?” the man questioned, sounding confused. Looking back down to the radio, Eren opened his mouth to reply but only a garbled ‘yes’ escaped his lips. Startled, he tried again, but his voice failed him once more. His placid outlook on the situation slowly started to sour into fear and confusion, but the man’s voice broke through his momentary panic. The strength of it was almost comforting.

 

“Looks like our hunch was correct.” The man sighed deeply. “I’m sorry, kid, but spending time in that monstrosity behind you seals away your voice. It’s only temporary, I assure you. But from what I’ve heard, you never spoke much back then anyways.”

 

Eren stiffened. ‘Back then’? Feeling the strength slowly returning to his limbs, Eren weakly got off the ground and picked up the radio in his hand before finding the cleanest part of the bloodied seat it had rested on and plunked down on it himself. He suddenly wasn’t very comfortable where he was and he gave into his instincts to have his back to the wall.

 

Sitting where he was, Eren took in the other half of the room. There was a large sheet of plywood that rather half-hazardly hid something behind it and to the left of it was a tall, glass chamber, that held bolts of lightning crackling within. On the device, a simple sign flashed in neon lights: ‘Vita-Chamber’. Eren glared at the thing, unsure of what it was or what it did. All he knew was that he had fallen out of it and the voice from the radio only confirmed his suspicions. He refused to let it from his sight for the moment, but with a quick glance above it, Eren saw another flashing camera lens. The mysteries of the machine before him temporarily forgotten, Eren glared suspiciously at the camera.

 

“I see you've taken notice to one of our cameras. I’d congratulate you, but that was to be expected. They weren't exactly hidden.” The last part seemed to be directed towards a third party rather than to himself or Eren. The muffled protest in the background confirmed Eren’s guess.

 

He growled quietly, his irritation and discomfort getting the better of him.

 

“Now, it looks like speaking with you will be a challenge at the moment, and I know you probably have questions,” Eren nodded sharply, “but right now, I’m going to need you to listen to what I have to say. And I know you have absolutely no reason to, but I need you to trust us. To trust _me_.”

 

Eren didn’t move an inch. He sat and stared at the camera; stared at the man behind it and wondered why his voice was so sad. Should he give his life to some man on the other end of a plastic toy? But what other option did he have? 

 

“Can you do that, kid?” Eren blinked slowly and considered the question. “Would you please trust me?”

 

Eren knew very little about the situation he found himself in. He didn’t know where he was, he didn’t know how he got here and he barely even remembered who he was. But there was one thing Eren knew for certain. He knew that he was scared. And for some reason, this man’s voice made the fear go away.

 

So, he nodded.

 

“Thank you.” The man sighed into his mic in relief and Eren felt warmth seep into his chest with those two simple words. “Thank you.”

 

Eren smiled a little but quickly hid it behind his hand. The sincerity in the man’s voice had taken him by surprise. “I am going to ask you a series of yes or no questions, and I want you to nod or shake your head in reply to them. Is that alright with you?”

 

Somewhat quizzical, Eren nodded again. The man shuffled around, obviously rustling with some papers before he spoke again.

 

“Are you male?”

 

Eren blinked once before giving the camera a dry stare. “I will take that as a yes.” Some scribbling could be heard.

 

“Do you know where you are? And I don’t mean the immediate vicinity. I mean the city as a whole.” Eren took a moment to think before answering. After a few seconds, he slowly shook his head. An inkling of fear returned to tickle at his chest as reality started to sink in.

 

“Do you know what day it is?” He shakes his head. “Do you know what year it is?” He shakes his head.

 

“Do you know why you’re here?” No.

 

“Do you know what you are?” This question takes Eren aback. How could he be anything but human? Was something wrong with him?

 

Alarmed, Eren’s gaze went back to the camera, but he obviously found no answers there. Nervously, Eren began to pat himself down, searching for anything strange. Everything was fine until he felt the small, circular scar on his temple beneath his hair line. His world slowed when his finger rimmed the delicate bump. His heart felt heavy and suddenly, Eren felt like crying. His hands fell into his lap like dead weight, palms clammy. Not looking at the camera, he shook his head.

 

The reminder that he didn’t know where he was, why he was there, what day it was or even what year it was, felt like a punch to the gut. The blood pounded in his ears, and his breath came in short, desperate gasps. Eren tried to calm himself, the leather of the seat under his hand protested as he clung onto it for dear life. Something actually popped under his grip.

 

“Hm.” The man’s calm hum of concentration did far more than irritate Eren. His hands flexed in his lap, anxiety and apprehension stealing his fragile calm. Eren forced himself to breathe more deeply and stifle the fear that poked at the base of his stomach.

 

“Do you know what Adam is? Eve?” He had to think for a moment, but again, he warily shook his head. The names sounded so familiar, but he couldn’t grasp the thoughts that flickered through his head. Absentmindedly, Eren scratched an itch on his left wrist.

 

“Do you… know your name?” The pause in the question spiked Eren’s caution and interest. He sat up straighter.

 

With confidence, Eren nodded his head. He could hear the man shift in his seat.

 

“Alright, I’m going to read out the alphabet and I would like you to let me know which letter your name starts with. Can you do that?”

 

The last question had Eren grit his teeth through the small blush that crept to his cheeks, but he nodded. He felt as though this man was treating him like a child, but his helplessness in the situation certainly made him feel like one.

 

“Very good. I will begin. A.” Nothing. “B.” Nothing. “C.” Nothing. The man paused and Eren immediately noticed the deep intake of breath. “D.”

 

The silence was longer than before, so Eren looked up at the camera and blinked, waiting. The man’s voice had quieted, sounding almost hopeful as he spoke again. “…E?”

 

Eren nodded once.

 

“Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic!” His voice suddenly grew distance as he yelled to someone in the distance. Eren could only just make out what he said. ‘It worked.’ He could hear the obvious joy and relief in the man’s voice, but Eren shared none of it. He had played his part. Now he wanted answers.

 

With what little patience he had at its end, Eren stood carefully and began to pace around the room. He carefully searched the garbage cans, under the seats, in boxes and in every corner. There was nothing but dust and cardboard to keep him company.

 

Eren timidly ran a hand through his hair and tried to swallow down the unease he felt crawling up his chest. In the few seconds that followed, he realized he couldn’t keep it down. The sensation grew and grew and grew until, without warning, it exploded within him. Eren violently slammed his hand against the wall and nearly fell over in the process. The fury vanished in an instant when he startled from his sudden loss of balance. Eren looked back towards his hand and discovered that, where his fist slammed into the metal sheet, there was now a gaping hole.

 

Terrified by his own strength, Eren recoiled sharply. The jagged edge of the metal wall cut through the tender flesh of his arm like butter. He hissed, pulling away from the jagged point and clutched the wounded limb to his chest. But as he backed away from the hole, he slipped on a slick tile and fell once again to the floor.

 

Time slowed for a moment. Eren immediately became aware of a burning sensation that started from his shoulder and shot down towards his uninjured hand. He flinched, twisting slightly in surprise. Instead of falling face first, Eren ended up tipping backwards, left hand held firmly behind him, ready to catch his fall. He would have landed safely had a sheet of ice not exploded from beneath his palm when his hand connected with the ground, causing the burning sensation to vanish. He intended to scream in shock but all that came out was a weak grunt of terror.

 

Blood dribbled off his elbow and onto the ice before evaporating away with a hiss. Eren crawled away desperately, shaking hands held away from him. He stared at them in horror, watching the ice dance across the palm of his left hand and the wound on his right arm slowly stitching itself together.

 

Eren’s world had spun before when he fell from the Vita Chamber, but now it reeled like an untamed beast.

 

His breath came in short gasps, cracking his already parched lips. A copper taste rolled onto his tongue before that too turned to steam. His mind screamed at him, deafening all reasoning and calm words that came from his thoughts. With his head between his knees, Eren rocked, whimpers of fear barely muffled by the measly fabric of his pants.

 

In his desperation, Eren didn’t even notice how his lips formed the words he was screaming in his mind.

 

_Help me. Help me, helpmehelpmehel-_

 

“-id! Hey, kid! Listen to me! Hey!” The mechanical voice fell on deaf ears. “You need to calm down! Eren!”

 

With that, the boy’s head snapped up. His eyes flew about the room before landing on the little plastic box on the floor beside his foot. Upon seeing the radio and hearing the man’s voice, Eren’s sanity slowly came back to him.

 

“Are you with us, Eren?” Weakly, he nodded. The trembling in his hands didn’t stop, but his thoughts cleared. “Thank goodness. That was quite the scare, was it not? I’m sorry, Eren. I should have warned you sooner, but other topics had to be clarified first.”

 

Eren blinked away tears, feeling hopeless resignation fall over him.

 

“I’m so sorry Eren, but please understand. I will explain everything in due time.” It felt like the man was practically begging Eren to forgive him but he couldn’t get past the small trickle of betrayal he felt in his heart. This man knew so much about him yet Eren knew so little. How many secrets did this man have over Eren? Why did he sound so guilty when speaking about them?

  
“Before we start, I have something I need to say. Because you have already given your name, it’s only fair that I give you mine. My name is Erwin Smith,” There was almost a smile in the man’s voice as he spoke, “and I was hired to get you out of this god forsaken city.”

 

**Chapter 2**

**A Change of Fate**

 

 

 

 

(I can't figure out how to post the link in the notes... yay. So click  **[HERE](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yLxr97RypnC00hqZdYL0jwNfe2H172jUjC9GBeWbLic/edit?usp=sharing)**  for my AU Wiki!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's short but I've been staring at this wall of text for the past 3 weeks. I'll see what I can do to make the next one longer! x.x


	3. Loss For Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a kinda shitty day at work, so I wanted to do something that felt good. So yeah, I cranked out another chapter. Yay?
> 
> Also, I don't intend to have my story be all that 'funny' although I will try in some moments. Just know, the funnies come before the not-so-funny times. Again, yay?
> 
> LAST THING!! It's important. Needles are mentioned in this chapter. Nothing happens with it yet, however instructions on how to 'use' it is explained in here, so be careful if this makes you uncomfortable. It's a reasonably brief chunk of the story, but for those who need to know, it comes after Eren drinks the brown liquid.

###  **Chapter 3**

**Loss For Words**

 

 

“-i oi oi OI! Don’t take all the credit, blondie. This is my mission too!”

 

Eren heard the barely audible shift in his seat before the man spoke. “Doctor. You've returned faster than expected.” He lacked all of his previous enthusiasm.

 

“Don’t you ‘doctor’ me, Erwin Smith. Were the years spent cultivating and growing our friendship-”

 

“Partnership.” He smoothly cut in.

 

“-friendship,” she repeated with emphasis, “worth nothing to you?”

 

He blatantly ignored the question. “Did you finish with the delivery?”

 

“Yes, I most certainly did! It should arrive at his room any minute.” There was a second’s pause. “Don’t change the subject!”

 

“Good, thank you.” Suddenly, the man sounded louder. Erwin turned, properly facing the microphone and resumed talking with Eren.  His ‘partner’ bickered at him in the distance but the man paid her no mind. To Eren, the scene sounded… familiar to the pair. He almost smiled but simply thinking about it made his heart ache in a way he didn’t understand. Eren felt his gut churn and he swallowed thickly.

 

“Okay Eren, we have just sent a little gift your way. It should arrive there shortly. Until then, I’ll try to answer some of your questions if I can. But before we start,” Erwin’s voice sounded strained, “some introductions are in order. Doctor?”

 

“Yay, my turn!” If the rustling of papers was anything to go by, the woman forcefully sat herself down in front of the mic and cleared her throat loudly. “Hi kiddo! My name is Hanji Zoe-“

 

“Hanji, he cannot see you. Don’t wave at the camera.”

 

“-and I’m your friendly neighbourhood doctor. I specialize in anything and everything to do with the human condition. You can come to me for bullet wounds, broken bones, severed limbs, sexual diseases, sexual stimulants or even to hide a body. Not that you’ll need to hide a body in this city, considering they are like, on every street corner, but it’s not like you can just throw one out the window if you know what I mean.” She snorted to herself and Eren could almost hear the way her lips pulled back into a smile. “If you seek emergency medical attention, please call ahead and book an appointment. If I do not answer the phone, I may be on my lunch break which can vary from roughly one to seven hours. Depends on the day. Hopefully, my secretary-“

 

“I’m not your secretary.”

 

“-will answer the phone in my absence.”

 

Eren stared incredulously at the plastic device. The doctor’s words had sunk in almost as soon as she had spoken them, but Eren sat in dumbfounded silence, fulling registering the implications of her words. Simply listening to her speak had exhausted him in ways he hadn’t thought possible. Not knowing what else to do or say in response, Eren giggled breathlessly. He tilted his head back, resting it against the wall he found himself pressed against and closed his eyes, letting his shoulders shake gently with his laughter. This woman, Dr. Zoe, bemused him immensely. Before, he had been shaken to the core, unstable and lost, but as soon as she had started spewing her absurd introduction, Eren had felt himself relax into a bewildered state. He had simply forgotten the fact that he had been horrified out of his mind.

 

These two strangers were a forced to be reckoned with. Eren just wished he knew what they wanted from him.

 

As the two bickered to each other over the radio, Eren tried to properly sit up. He swept his hand along the ground, preparing to stand himself up when a little shard of glass sliced through the meat of his palm. He hissed through his teeth, frustrated in having hurt himself once again. As he lifted the hand to his face, Eren watched in fascination and mild horror. In just a few heartbeats, the small wound stitched itself shut and the chunk of glass fell harmlessly to the floor. Remembering what had happened before, Eren forgot about the smaller cut and immediately inspected his right forearm, where not minutes before an inch deep gash had spanned the length of it. The flesh was perfectly intact and Eren stared at it in awe.

 

“Fascinating, isn’t it?” Hanji’s voice snapped him out of his trance. He looked back to the radio. “Usually the restorative symptoms of the Vita-Chamber fade away immediately after the patient is detached from the device, but with some, the restoration process seems to linger. But with you, it seems to be much stronger than with my other… patients.” The doctor hummed to herself. “Regardless, you should enjoy the healing ability while you can. Who knows how long it’ll last!”

 

Eren hummed to himself, captivated by the now flawless skin that spanned his forearm. His staring however, was interrupted by a loud puff of gas from behind him. Eren jolted in surprise and twisted around, trying to move away from the sound, eyes dancing around the room to find the source.

 

When he remembered to breathe again, Eren saw steam seeping through the cracks of a previously invisible panel on the wall. A small window formed and a door swung open, producing a large, brown paper bag. Eren crawled backwards slightly, hesitant as to the intent and purpose of the package.

 

Erwin’s voice once again took over the radio. “Ah, I see that it has arrived. Do not worry Eren, make your way over to the hatch. Inside, you will find a little care package from us. It will have some basic food and water as well as an Eve-”

 

Before Erwin even mentioned the food, it’s smell wafted over towards Eren and his stomach grumbled aloud. The starving boy needed no further encouragement. He was shoving his hand into the brown paper bag before he was fully on his feet. When he felt the crunch of the bread crust under his fingertips, Eren didn’t even hesitate to shove the food into his dry mouth. He nearly cried in his moment of bliss.

 

Before long, not a single crumb or drop of water remained and Eren was left staring at some rather suspicious looking substances. He sat cross legged on the floor, the ‘gifts’ laying before him. The first thing he noticed was a very large looking needle with a glowing blue liquid inside the vial connected to it. Without even moving the vial, the contents swirled around on their own. Simply looking at it made Eren’s skin crawl in disgust. Beside it was a sealed cup of dark brown liquid and it looked just as unsettling as the first ‘gift’. Eren scratched his wrist again, feeling a discomfort that hadn’t been there before.

 

“Don’t look so intimidated kiddo. These things will help you, I promise.” Eren wanted to shake his head and stick out his tongue, but thought against it. He worried on his lip instead. The doctor sounded sincere, and yet he still hesitated. “The little bottle in front of you is supposed to help your voice come back. We don’t know for sure if it works for everyone, after all, this is our first time testing the new recipe, but we’ll never know unless we try!”

 

For Eren, that knowledge didn’t exactly help his decision.

 

“From what I know of the substance Eren, it tastes just as appetizing as it looks. Perhaps it would have been wise to save some of the water we sent you.” The pity in Erwin’s voice was obvious. “Well, it is too late for that now.”

 

“Just pinch your nose and toss it back like a good boy. The hard part comes up next!”

 

Knowing that the situation was out of his hands, Eren sighed before lifting the glass to his lips. The smell alone made his eyes water but before he had time to really think about it, he was gulping it down. The second the fluid touched his tongue, Eren had to focus and use all his willpower to keep it in. He swallowed and swallowed, hands on his knees until finally, his mouth was free of the vile concoction. He gagged openly at the lingering aftertaste. Leaning back into the stiff leather of the bench, Eren could feel himself internally groaning in disgust.

 

“Did you swallow all of it Eren?” He weakly gave the doctor a thumbs up. She clicked her tongue at him. “Well done! If the medicine does its job and you don’t violently react to it within the next 13 minutes, all is well. Now,” she clapped her hands together, “for the hard part. But first, you are right handed, so you will need to use the needle on your left arm.”

 

Eren inhaled sharply enough that he was forced into a painful coughing fit. Panic shot through him, along with disbelief and perhaps a sliver of denial. After recovering for a few seconds, Eren looked at the camera, eyes wide and made some vague gestures about using the needle, then pointing at himself.

 

“Yes, it has to be you silly! Even if we were there, we can’t do it for you Eren. You have to know how to do it yourself in case you need to in a bad situation. I’ll walk you through how to do it, alright kiddo?”

 

He didn’t even have time to shake his head before the doctor continued.

 

“First, take the needle in your right hand.” He did so, albeit with sweaty hands. “Put the pushy part under your thumb and face the needle towards you. You want to have your hand along the back of the syringe, that’s the tube part, and point the needle down towards you. No, no! Not at such a sharp angle! You’ll go right through your arm!” Eren had to swallow down a pitiful groan caused by the visual. “Okay, yeah that’s better. Now, you have to push it in until about half of the needle is gone, then you need to slowly force down the plunger, the pushy part. Can you do that?”

 

Eren did nothing.

 

He stared nervously at the needle, watching the tip shake with the violent tremors of his hand. The syringe was slipping in his grasp, slick from the sweat. Even in his death-like grip, Eren could barely hold the needle still. If he could just do it the way Dr. Zoe said… then he could… he might be able to…

 

Eren’s shoulders sagged in defeat. He lowered the needle and hung his head, staring at it.

 

“Eren,” Hanji spoke softly which seemed rather uncharacteristic, “are you perhaps nervous around needles?” Eren raised his hand and shook it from side to side in a ‘sort of’ gesture. She hummed at him. He was fine with the concept of needles themselves, but actually holding one in his hand and using it on himself was the issue. Or so he thought he was. There was something in his mind that was fighting to come forward and it grew stronger every second he stared at the fine point of the needle. The sensation made all of the hair on his arms stand on end and it left him with an uneasy feeling. Eren couldn’t quite place the emotion, but if he had to take a guess… it was something akin to fear.

 

Bone shaking, blood boiling fear. And for the life of him, Eren couldn’t understand why.

 

Hanji blew out through her lips wetly, startling Eren slightly as the feedback came through the radio. “Erwin, you talk to him.”

 

“Is the doctor not the one better trained to calm her patients?”

 

Hanji could almost be heard rolling her eyes. “I think you’re overestimating my talent as a people person and underestimating the power of your voice. Your voice is like silk, Erwin. Talk him into it, like you would a lover.” Overhearing their discussion, Eren gawked at the device, a blush burning his ears.

 

“That is hardly appropriate in this situation, Hanji. We are trying to calm him down, not seduce him.”

 

“Ehhhh…”

 

“Hanji.”

 

“What! You never know, he might-”

 

“I-I… No!” In his somewhat hasty and unexpected commentary, Eren ended up choking on his spit.

 

“Oh look, the VitaPaste seems to be kicking in. Fantastic!” Hanji giggled in excitement. Erwin sighed again. He seemed to do that often.

 

“Regardless, Eren it is a good sign that your voice is coming back to you, but we need you to take the Eve Hypo. It is a necessity towards your survival.”

 

Eren swallowed many times, trying to prepare himself to speak, “C-can…t.” He gave into a fit of coughing. Eren knew he had to speak up. If he didn’t make himself heard, they wouldn’t understand. He could feel the raw emotion beginning to bubble to the surface and he was trying so hard to fight it.

 

“Can’t? I know it’s hard, kiddo. But it’s so important!” Hanji prodded. “I wouldn’t make you do this if it wasn’t, Eren. Please?”

 

“Is there anything we can do to help calm your nerves, kid?”

 

“T-talk.” Eren licked his lips. “Tal…k. Wh-ngh.” He tried again. “W-where am...?”

 

“You want us to talk about where you are? I do not think that is wise, Eren. Will that really help calm you down?” There was a slight hesitance in Erwin’s voice, but Eren was determined to get an answer, regardless of the ‘distraction’ or not. He grunted out his reply.

 

“Very well. What can I say about this city of ours?” He let out a wry chuckle. “It is a city like no other. The first of its kind, but I hope to God, the last as well.”

 

Feeling himself regain control somewhat, Eren tilted his head back and closed his eyes, listening to Erwin’s baritone voice, letting it wash over him.

 

“What makes it special isn’t the monsters running through its filthy streets, or the addicts on its corners. Nor is it the corruption of its leaders. Rapture is its own country with its own morals, religions and beliefs. People came here to run away from the egoism, the war and the poverty of society. It was made to be the escape from all the ‘filth’ and ‘disease’ above.”

 

“Abu… above?”

 

“Yes. Above. You see Eren, Rapture sits at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.”

 

“T-the ocean?” Eren couldn’t believe his ears. “I- we’re… under the o-ocean?”

 

“Amazing, is it not? Somehow, a massive, thriving city was built at the bottom of the ocean, and peopled believed living here would bring them peace. It only took five years to build this underwater hell and that is an amazing accomplishment. But the time it took to fall apart,” his humorless laugh sent a chill up Eren’s spine, “that is a feat all in itself.”

 

Eren was filled with doubt about the truth in Erwin’s words. Questions flew through his mind far faster than his mouth could keep up. He remained silent, regardless of the curiosity that burned through him. A part of him refused to believe it, and yet... A city under the ocean wasn’t the most unlikely scenario. After all, he could materialize ice in the palm of his hand.

 

“R-Really? You’re not lying to… me?”

 

Hanji cut in before Erwin could answer. “It’s the truth, kiddo! There is a window just out that door, go take a loo-”

 

“Hanji!”

 

But it was too late. Eren was already on his feet and running to the door, throwing away the debris blocking his path.

 

“Kid, no, don’t! Come back, I haven't accessed the cameras in that area yet! Eren, it’s not safe, stop!”

 

He crashed through the door with explosive force. Eyes darting around the dark hall that he found himself in, Eren saw the light spilling across the floor at the end of the hall. Moving on their own accord, his feet carried him to the light. A small shadow slid across the hideous carpet. If he guessed correctly, it was a… fish?!

 

Excitement and anticipation had Eren flying down the hallway at a seemingly impossible speed. In his haste, he had completely forgotten that he was holding the radio in his hand. It continued to squawk at him but he couldn’t even hear it.

 

“Damnit! Hanji, make sure he doesn’t do anything foolish! I’m going to the security room.” The radio was ambient sound to Eren, all words falling on deaf ears.

 

He skidded to a halt, just before the window. Eren took a deep breath, excitement curling his toes, before he let the light fall across his face. His knees nearly gave out from beneath him.

 

“Well, kiddo. While blondie over here is doing important stuff, I might as well say the magic words.” Joking tone completely lost, she spoke with pride in her voice. “Welcome to Rapture.”

 

The expanse of the vast underwater city glittered with lights. Colossal buildings of glass and steel towered over Eren, blocking out the pillars of light that came from the surface. Fish danced through the waters like the birds above, darting to and from each building as they made their way throughout the city. Some even came to the window and nibbled along the edges, their bright colours seeming to glow with the city itself. Eren stumbled to the glass and placed his hand on the cool surface, staring at the lights in awe. The city felt so alive, so untamed. So familiar. But the silence of the ocean was deafening.

 

Eren’s vision slowly blurred and he felt the tears fall from his eyes. There was a pain in his chest but it wasn’t unpleasant. It was just a bit… bittersweet.

 

 _Mom. Mom, I did it. I came to the ocean. I kept my promise._ When his lips parted in a smile, he tasted salt. _I kept my promise._

 

His moment of internal peace was short lived. A sudden image flashed in his head and Eren went rigid with shock. One moment he was staring at the tranquil city, the next, all he saw was blood. There was blood on his hands, blood on his knees, on the floor, on the… knife?

 

His hand fell away from the glass, the pain in his chest growing into something foreign and overwhelming. Eren’s breathing came a little faster and his head began to spin. All the strength he had regained abandoned his legs and Eren stumbled to his knees, one hand on the window frame, the other clutching his chest. The pain spread his across his front, his heart thumping viciously. The scenes playing behind the eyelids he didn’t remember closing, consumed his thoughts.

 

There was a ghostly white hand in his. Someone’s tears soaked his shoulder, their dark hair brushing his nose. There was fire. There was ice. There was screaming, there was blood, there was gunfire and then there was nothing.

 

_I kept… my promise?_

 

As quickly as the images came, they vanished, leaving Eren on the floor with his head in his hands. Recognizing that he was back in reality, he took a shaky breath and looked back out over the city. Its twinkling lights calmed him, a nostalgic feeling forcing out the panic and confusion in his heart. Eren closed his eyes and breathed deeply, focusing on the light under his eyelids for a moment. Finally, Eren looked down to where the radio had clattered to the ground at his side. He reached for it slowly, unsure if the moment of his episode had passed.

 

“Eren, I have the hallway camera work- Why are you on the ground? Are you alright, were you assaulted?!”

 

“Mr. S-Smith? I’m alri-ght.” He quietly spoke over the man. His voice was raspy and dry sounding, but at least he could form words properly now. He spoke slowly and carefully. “I just… something h-happened. I saw images but I can’t... eg- explain what they were. There were these pitt-pictures in my head. Like memories? But I don’t… I don’t remember them. I-I…” Eren’s voice shook, “what is...”

 

He was answered with silence from the radio. Thinking the device was broken from the short fall, he started to inspect it but the man spoke up. “I see. Did anything else… happen?”

 

“No. Not really. But my chest started to h-urt. It started to hurt a lot. I couldn’t breathe. Is t-his the reaction Dr. Zoe...?” He ran out of breath but his question was obvious to the doctor.

 

“No no, kiddo. You would be bleeding from your eyes if you were reacting.” She paused. “You’re not bleeding from your eyes, are you?”

 

Eren reached up and felt the dampness on his cheeks. He nearly cried out in shock, but when he pulled his hand away from his cheek, he saw the crystal clear liquid on the tips of his fingers and remembered the tears. His heart squeezed once more with conflicted emotions and Eren let out a shaky chuckle. “No, I’m not.”

 

Hanji let out a puff of air. Eren hoped it was in relief.

 

“But, are you okay? And I don’t mean… physically.” Erwin’s voice sounded somewhat tight, but his worry was evident.

 

Eren tried to bark out a laugh. “I don't… No. Not y-yet.”

 

Radio clutched in his hand, Eren rolled back off his knees and sat on the floor, staring out over the city. “So this is Rapture. It's... it's gorgeous. I don’t think I could ever get tired of this view. It's so... radiant. There is so much to look at-” He stopped short. The entire city suddenly went black. He could see nothing. It was like someone had drawn a curtain over the window he was viewing from. The dimly flickering light in the hallway remained on, letting him know he hadn't imagined the whole thing. Eren blinked in surprise and stood up, a little shakily, to try and see around it.

 

“Um, Erwin? Did the light’s just go out in the…?” Hanji was the one who answered.

 

“Oh no, you’ve just met the local wildlife! Eren, meet Bean!” She leans into the mic to whisper darkly, “He’s one of my favourites.”

 

Eren’s confusion lasted only a second. The screen of black was moving slightly just outside the window. As Eren started to notice the detail of the black mass in front of him, a large eye opened right in front of his face and stared him down. It blinked once.

 

Eren recoiled with a muffled shriek.

 

_Too much ocean. TOO MUCH OCEAN._

 

The debris at his feet had him tripping backwards, arms flailing. He would have fallen over had a pair of icy hands not braced his shoulders. Rigid in shock, Eren slowly turned his head. He was met with a yellow, decaying smile and bright red lips. His eyes grew wide in fear.

 

“Hello sweet cheeks.”

 

 

###  **Chapter 3**

**Loss For Words**

 

 

 

 

 

(Click  **[HERE](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yLxr97RypnC00hqZdYL0jwNfe2H172jUjC9GBeWbLic/edit?usp=sharing)**  for my AU Wiki!)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hanji in this story, identifies a woman. There is a reason for this, trust me! I personally believe Hanji to be non-binary, but for this, the gender is important.


	4. Habits Die Hard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap, I need to slow down a bit and get my plot straight before I make the same mistake as last time! Gah! 
> 
> But updating is fuuuuun!
> 
> Oh, and guess who? ;)

### Chapter 4

**Habits Die Hard**

 

Eren’s lungs burned. The blood thrummed through his temples and behind his eyes. He sprinted through the abandoned hallways, his feet pounding desperately across the floor. Sweat dripped into his eyes and mouth, but he didn’t care. Not when the second set of footsteps behind him continued to grow closer.

 

A door at his side caught his attention. He exploded through it into a pitch black room and slammed it behind him, pausing to catch his breath. Through the haze of his panic and fear, he managed to squeeze out some barely understandable words into the radio.

 

“Mr… Smith? What was… that?” Eren tasted copper when he spoke. His lips had cracked and bled openly but he ignored it.

 

“-anji, I thought you said that this building was abandoned!”

 

Eren pulled the radio away from his lips and focused on catching his breath. Apparently, his question fell on deaf ears.

 

“Well, it WAS as of thirteen hours ago!”

 

“What happened then?” The man continued to curse aloud. “Check all the rooms! I have tapped into the cameras at every entrance of the entire building, so use them! Tell me how she got in here!”

 

“Just give me a moment! I’m trying to figure that out- oh shit.” Hanji’s voice dropped as she swore aloud. “Erwin.”

 

“What?”

 

“Erwin, come here.”

 

Eren had to strain to hear over his laboured breathing. He managed to quiet down some, but from what he heard next, he almost wished he hadn’t.

 

“Oh, gods no.”

 

Those words sent an ice cold wave of fear down Eren’s spine. His fingers scraped against the floor when they curled into tight, shaking fists. Erwin's horror stricken voice managed to punch the breath he so desperately needed out of him. The playful giggling coming from the hallway was slowly growing louder and it did nothing to ease his mind.

 

“Come out, come out!”

 

Eren did his best to compose himself, but the hand he lifted from his knee to his mouth shook violently.

 

“Mr. Smith!” He whispered viciously into the radio, “What is going… on? What the… hell was that?!”

 

There was a small gasp from the radio. Eren had startled the two with the strength of his voice. He heard Erwin sit down heavily and a soft click of what he would assume were glasses being removed before the man spoke, “Sorry, kid. It’s just…” he huffed out a dark laugh. “We’ve got some bad news for you.”

 

“That’s a bit of an understatement,” Hanji snorted in the background.

 

“Regardless, it’s not going to matter unless we get you out of this situation first.”

 

Eren found himself nodding. “That woman… what was she?”

 

“That was a splicer.” Eren was about to ask what that was before Erwin continued. “Splicers are the residence of this city, but they are the vermin as well. They are addicts who have fallen victim to the drug called Adam.”

 

“A-adam? You mentioned that befo-” There was a creak in the floorboards behind the door and Eren instantly slapped a hand across his mouth. He muffled the radio against the measly fabric on his leg, trying to keep silent and prayed that Erwin and Hanji would remain quiet as well. He didn’t dare breathe as he waited. The blood pounded in his ear as he waiting for something, anything.

 

“Fooound you!” Anything but that.

 

The woman’s gnarled hand crashed through the door next to his head, splinters flying through the air. Her nails, like tiny blades, cut through the lobe of his ear, causing blood to gush down his shoulder. Before long, it hissed away into nothing, but Eren still flinched away from the pain. He tried to pull away but had nowhere to go with her arm having wrapped itself like a vise around his neck. Eren screamed in terror, dropping the radio to claw at the arm that held him prisoner. Kicking out and attempting to pry her arm away was a waste of effort. Her uncanny strength held him in place and she refused to budge. His nails tore into her flesh in turn and she hissed at him through the door, but her grip didn’t falter. It wasn’t until he sank his teeth into her arm that she withdrew with a scream. The way it changed into a cheery giggle had his stomach twisting with nausea.

 

“Ooooh, I’ve found a fiery one!”

 

He stood, gathering his strength and courage before charging through the door with a roar. The door slammed into the woman, forcing her back and she fell to the heavily ground with a thump. Eren used the second of confusion and sprinted past her, going back the way he came. He desperately hoped that the familiar ground would help him.

 

“Mr. Smith, what do I do?!” Trying to calm himself down wasn’t really an option anymore. He screamed into the radio, begging for some help.

 

“Kiddo, you have to use the Plasmid!” The doctor’s suggestion confused him.

 

“The- JESUS!” Eren stopped short and shrieked into the radio, barely managing to dodge the woman’s gnarled claw as it came down to swipe at his face. Eren thought he had dodged her well enough, but the sharp sting along his cheekbone told him otherwise.

 

He twisted his neck, trying to look away from rotting limb. Eren could feel his stomach roll just looking at every boil and inch of oozing flesh that covered her skeleton hands. The smell that brushed past his nose was even worse and he gagged while falling backwards. Eren fell onto a tower of empty boxes, softening his fall somewhat, but he was already up and moving, throwing the boxes into her path to slow her down.

 

Surprised at her sudden appearance, Eren redoubled his efforts. He had thought they had enough distance between them but she seemingly closed it in the blink of an eye. The only warning he had to her presence was the awful stench that radiated from her. Eren thanked himself for his quick reflexes. “The what?!”

 

“The Plasmid! Use the Winter Blast! That spell you used before in the other room, the thing that froze the floor? Point your hand at her face and FREEZE HER!” There was obvious excitement in the woman’s voice as she explained what to do. Eren told himself to hold in his irritation at her enthusiasm and yell at her for it later. If there was a later that is. “You don’t have much Eve, so you’ve only got one or two chances to freeze her! Don’t waste it!”

 

Eren stopped on his heel and lifted his left hand in front of him, palm facing the advancing woman. He closed his eyes, cringing into his shoulder and waited. And waited…

 

“Sweet cheeks– my, what beautiful fingers you have – are you offering me your hand?” The woman giggled softly, the gentleness in her voice out of place. “Sorry love, but I’m already taken. I’ve got myself a honey at home, just waiting for me to cook dinner! I wonder,” She put a hand on her hip, and the other to her lips as she pondered something deeply, “would he taste better in a soup or as the main course?”

 

“It didn’t work?!” In his panic, Eren paid the woman’s rambling no mind and continued to back away. He crashed into a few things, but he didn’t dare let the woman leave his sights. Thankfully, she continued to ramble to herself, seemingly forgetting that Eren was even there.

 

“That’s because you’re doing it wrong, kiddo! When you use Plasmids, you really have to focus on it; you don’t just point and shoot!” The childish tone brought Eren to the edge of his sanity.

 

“But-” Eren spluttered, “that’s what you told me to do, god damnit?!”

 

“Hey now, kiddo, let’s not bring God into this… You know Erwin, I liked him better when he couldn’t spea-” Eren growled in exasperation and desperately looked around for something, anything, to arm himself with.

 

Frantically, Eren scanned the room for a weapon. He had taken a desperate glance around when he first entered the room but hadn’t seen anything that could be of use. It was a last ditch effort on his part, and he doubted he would find anyth- There!

 

Leaning against the doorframe he had crashed through, Eren saw a wrench. His heart jumped in relief but something at the back of his mind paused for a moment.

 

_I could have sworn that wasn’t…_

Eren shook his head. This wasn’t the time to be doubting his luck. He probably just overlooked the tool in his haste to run away.

 

Taking a chance, Eren lunged for it, but the woman was faster. Thankfully, she thought he was headed for the door, and slammed it shut before he got there. Just as she was about to cackle in victory, he was jumping backwards to avoid the metal that just barely glanced past her nose. The woman smiled widely, baking away after seeing the tool in his hand. He swung it around him in warning but she just giggled at him.

 

“Oo, playing hard to get are we?” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I love playing games.”

 

“Hanji, just help the kid for fucking sake!”

 

Above Eren, the flickering light steadied and shone a full beam of light against his face. He squinted against it, trying not to lose sight of his attacker. Thankfully, the woman before him stopped advancing for a heartbeat, her eyebrows drawing together in thought.

 

“Hey... sweetcheeks,” Eren flinched, noticing the serious tone that her voice changed to. She had dropped all playful banter and was watching his face carefully. “You from around here, honey? You look familiar.” She took another step forward and Eren took another step back.

 

“Please…” Eren wasn’t even sure who he was begging. Then again, he wasn’t even sure what he was begging for.

 

“Alright, alright. He probably won’t trust me…” Hanji’s voice suddenly dropped, tone becoming more serious. “Eren, listen closely. I need you to think very hard about how you used the Plasmid in the other room. Think about the fear you felt. Think about that fear coming down your arm and resting in your palm.” It was rather difficult to do so while running for your life, but Eren managed somehow to do as she said. “Now, I want you to think about the ice. I want you to feel the ice. I want you to BE the ice!”

 

Think about the ice… feel the- WAIT. “Dr. Zoe!”

 

The splicer continued to stalk forward. “Really, handsome. Where have I seen you before?"

 

“I’m being serious! See! See! Erwin, he doesn’t trust me! I told you this would happen!”

 

“Eren, just listen to Hanji! It really works as she said!” The older man’s voice came out strained and somewhat muffled, like something was clutched tightly between his teeth. “You have to focus your emotions into the form of a plasmid and then literally throw it at your enemy!”

 

Eren couldn’t take it. The splicer was just beyond his arm’s reach and steadily getting closer. He lifted his hand groaned into his palm, sweat dripping steadily off his forehead as he prepared to charge past the woman. He failed miserably when doing so and ended up running straight into her arms.

 

“Now, now sweet cheeks! It’s not very polite to run from a lady like that! I asked you a question, after all.” Her yellow teeth slipped out over her lip in a pout. With all his might, Eren threw himself from her arms, surprising them both and ran back the way he came. He was just running in circles!

 

“Eren, it’s the only way! You need to freeze her!”

 

“Kid, listen to her! Try to use the plasmid!”

 

Finally, Eren’s mind seemed to snap. “Okay! Okay!” He sprinted to a corner and pressed his back against the wall and focused. The fire in his chest boiled like never before, but somehow he smothered it and drew from its power. A chill ran down his arm, causing the hairs to stand on end. Eren could feel the pure energy thrum beneath his skin until it pooled in his hand. Opening his tightly shut eyes, Eren looked down and saw the small flakes of ice forming on his fingertips.

 

“I-I did it! I DID IT!” Untameable hope and awe swam through him. He was using a Plasmid!

 

“Good! Good, Eren! Now throw it at the splicer!” Erwin’s praise sent a shot of pride up his spine, but he had no time to bask in his own glory.

 

“Yeah! Go get ‘em, kiddo! Throw that snowball at the gal!” Their encouragement had Eren’s blood boiling with adrenaline. He was just about to throw himself around the corner when Hanji’s words caught up in his mind.

 

“Wait, did you say snowba-”

 

“Ooo, sweet cheeks, your hand looks strange. You should see a doctor about that.” Eren shrieked in surprise at the voice that whispered in his ear and slammed his hand against the wall to push himself away. Frost exploded against the sheet metal, uselessly covering the wall in little icicles that already started to melt.

 

“Oh! So pretty!”

 

Something cold and solid pressed itself against Eren's back and he found himself trapped. He just wasted the Plasmid against the wall in his panic and had backed himself into a corner to try and slip away. What Hanji said ran through his mind. ‘… you’ve only got one or two chances to freeze her! Don’t waste it!’

 

Eren spat as many curses as he could think of under his breath, watching the snowflakes melt against the flesh of his hand.

 

“Look, sweetcheeks. Have you ever been to the Lonely Maiden? Where have I seen your gorgeous eyes before…” Suddenly, her eyes shot to his face and a slow, decaying smile lit up her cheeks. “I know. I know who you are, little dog. You’re that one’s whipped bitch, ain’t you?” Her smile faded into an ugly sneer. “His _Big Brother_.”

 

Eren froze, confusion halting his escape. “I’m a… you kno-”

 

With terrifying speed, she took a few steps and appeared at his side. She threw her arms around him in a bone-crushing grip. He gagged on the stench that enveloped him, breathing coming in short, pained gasps.

 

“You’re suppose to have a hole in your head the size of a fuckin baseball, sweetcheeks.” She giggled like a child. “What little stunt did you pull, hmm? Did lady death give you a second chance?” She clicked her tongue and frowned. “Oohh, he’s not going to be happy about that all, little bitch.”

 

From the blackness spotting his vision and the ringing in his ears, Eren could hear Erwin and Hanji calling for him from the radio on the floor.

 

“Enough, boy. I’m getting bored here, so can we just call it a day? I left the stove on.” Eren struggled, but his legs only flailed in open air. Falling back on what worked before, he sunk his teeth into the palm that smothered his mouth. She dropped him, clicking her tongue in irritation. “Again, with the biting!” There was no humor in her tone and it was horrifying.

 

“Get away from me!” Eren kicked out, causing her to retreat somewhat as he rushed under her outstretched arms. He swung the wrench, his arm vibrating with the force of the impact as the blunt weapon connected with the woman’s arm. She shrieked as the bone splintered audibly. “Mr. S-Smith! Whatever you’re doing, hurry UP!” He swung again but missed as she angrily batted the wrench away.

 

“I know, I know! Just please try to hold out for another minute… I’m almost…”

 

The woman stomped along behind Eren, no longer twirling and spinning happily. Now, she paced towards him with determination, staring down her prey as she stalked him through the dark hallways. Even with all the debris he threw behind him and the doors he slammed through to get away, she managed to keep pace with Eren, always the same distance away and never falling behind. The terror that Eren felt as he cowered away from her charging form couldn’t be described with simple words.

 

“Come back, little bitch! I need you to pay my rent!”

 

“Got it! Okay Eren, listen to me! I need you to run over to... the far wall on the left, do you see it?”

 

He hadn’t even realized that he had entered a dead end. The door behind him stood no chance when he slammed it behind him. The splicer just clawed through it like paper, her nails like talons, and lunged towards Eren’s feet. Eren fell forward heavily, kicking at the grip on his ankle. His foot connected with a crunch and he was free. “Which left?!”

 

“Your left!” Eren crawled away from the woman on his hands and knees. Realizing he was getting nowhere fast, he pulled his feet beneath him and sprinted to the far wall. “Okay, good! Now, the panel you’re looking for should be behind those boxes- there! Just beside it is a button. I need you to press it!” Eren does so without hesitation.

 

Flashing red lights consume the room and a siren nearly blasts his hearing to pieces. Hands on his ears, Eren looks around in panic and got as far away from the speaker as possible. “What did I just do?!”

 

“You just set off the alarm for the building and the armed military bots will be there any minute!”

 

“I think I’m going to cry.”

 

“No Eren, it’s a good thing!”

 

“How is this a good thing?!”

 

“Because I just finished overriding them. They have been reprogrammed to fight for you!”

 

Eren didn’t even know what to say at this point so he chose not to speak.

 

As if to prove Erwin’s point, two flying sentry bots teetered into the room. The beams of light fell onto the injured splicer, and with a little musical tone, began to fire rounds into the woman. Her screams of pain could easily be heard over the raging alarms and gunfire but Eren could only watch in horror. Every shriek of agony that she released had Eren shutting his eyes tighter and tighter, not wanting to see the images that flashed before or behind his eyelids.

 

Finally, the sound of gunfire fell quiet as the woman collapsed into a puddle of her own blood and lay still. Seemingly satisfied with their work, the sentry bots sang out to him before buzzing away, leaving Eren to open his eyes and stare numbly at the woman on the floor. It was over so quickly that it felt surreal.

 

_That... that can't be it. After all of that..._

 

Eren felt his stomach churn. He turned away from the gore and knelt on the ground, still clutching the wrench like a lifeline. Nausea swept through him but he tried to swallow it down. The blood pounded in his ears, drowning out everything.

 

“Hey… kid. Are you alright? I’m truly sorry about- EREN LOOK OUT!”

 

Eren barely turned in time to see the bloodied woman standing over him, something sharp and glinting in her grip. “-uck you, LITTLE BITCH!” And with all the strength left in her body, she brought the weapon down.

 

Every drop of fear, nausea, confusion and anger he had boiling inside flew down his fingers as he reached up to protect himself. The Plasmid crackled like lightning as it flew from the tips and encased her in ice before she could even bat an eye. She stood still, like a statue of death, arms still poised above her head. When she realized what had happened, her ice encased expression, frozen in its cruel snarl, became far less intimidating.

 

Perhaps it was the terror that started to pool in her eyes.

 

“Kid, do it now! Hit her with the wrench!” Eren took a deep breath, steeled himself and lifted the weapon above his head. He didn’t even have time to say he was sorry.

 

His ocean blue eyes stared into her dark black ones as he brought the wrench down in its killing arc. Eren saw those eyes widen in fear, he saw them plead for mercy and he saw the sudden crack that split through her face as she shattered into thousands of shards when metal met ice.

 

And just like that, the woman literally fell to pieces at his feet. The sounds of broken glass filled the room, but Eren didn’t bother to listen. He was too busy staring at the place she had stood not a second before.

 

“W-well done Eren. You did it. You’re safe now.” Erwin sighed into the radio, the relief evident in his voice.

 

Eren had yet to relax from his stance. His hands refused to release the bloodied wrench, knuckles white from gripping the handle with all his terrified might. It took some time, but eventually, with a thump he fell to the ground in relief and exhaustion, the wrench finally slipping to the floor with a clatter. For minutes after, no one spoke a word.

 

However, the pregnant silence was disrupted by soft giggling as Hanji spoke into the radio. “That was exciting!”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Steam pooled out from the shower, spreading through the open space of the bedroom. It clashed with the frigid air, dancing around as it slowly began warm up the room. A young man stepped out from the shower and quickly removed the towel from its hook before drying himself off.

 

He ran the towel through his wet hair, shaking the droplets over the floor where they joined the puddles at his feet. He was swift and precise with his movements, taking as little time as possible before he wrapped the towel tightly around his waist and entered the chilly bedroom.

 

The lights of the city shone beneath him, casting lazy beams of light across the ceiling. His shadow cut through the light, causing a ghoulish figure to crawl across the walls as the young man approached the window. He placed his hand on the glass and wistfully watched the city beneath him. Seeing the life thrive in the buildings that sat below his feet brought a coil of disgust to his stomach.

 

Levi stared out over his city and thought of his followers, the mindless and blind people who looked at this city as a means of gaining money, love and utopia. But gazing out over the glowing steel towers, all Levi saw was his prison and his keepers.

 

 _Filthy_. The raven sighed deeply, breath fogging the glass and blocking the city from his sight. His hand curled into a fist against the pane, but the familiar stiffness in the mound of his thumb stopped it short. His fingers trembled against the strain so he relaxed, feeling the skin pull taut. Numbly, Levi noticed that the ache in his bone was stronger than normal tonight, but he couldn’t fathom why.

 

Levi gazed sadly at the glass, eyes finally falling to the scar that circled the base of his thumb; the cause of the ache. His heart squeezed thinking about how he got it. Gently, Levi let his head fall forward, his temple resting against the ragged skin and he took a few breaths, relishing the way the pain grounded him and brought him a strange sense of comfort. It reminded him of what had been.

 

And what he could never have again.

 

His hand fell away, returning to his side heavily as he ignored the loneliness in his heart, feeling it turn into something bitter.

 

Two short rasps on the door have Levi jolting away from the window. He hadn’t heard anyone coming down the hallway and Levi cursed himself for getting so lost in his thoughts. He turned to the large door behind him, pulling the damp towel protectively over his shoulders and waited for the guest to enter. After a few seconds of silence, Levi remembered that his none of his keepers actually bothered to knock, except for one person. His mouth twitched at its corners and he loudly called out, “Come in, Stuart.”

 

Immediately after, the door swings open, hinges groaning against the weight of the thick metal they carried. A single man entered the room, tray in hand. He bowed deeply, mouse brown hair defying gravity, the tray steady in his grip as he greeted Levi. “Good evening, Young Master. I have your tea prepared as you asked.”

 

“Thank you.” Levi was honest in his thanks. He approached the butler, returning the towel to his waist as he reached for the steaming cup. He inhaled the rich scent before taking a sip. Levi gave in to a rare smile, knowing it was hidden behind the cup. The tea was perfect, as to be expected.

 

Regardless, Levi felt the careful eyes watching him. He glanced to his butler, trying to judge the emotions hidden behind the man’s eyes but he saw nothing. Remembering their first meeting and the tea stains he had left along the walls and floor, he knew what the man was waiting for. He curtly nodded his head at the butler. “It's delicious. Well done.”

 

His butler bowed again, tucking the tray under his arm with a gloved hand. “I am relieved.” He stood straight once more and patiently waited as Levi sat on his bed and finished the tea. Levi took his time and enjoyed the company, regardless of how silent it was. The butler was the only one to give him any peace of mind in this beautifully decorated prison cell of his. He just wished he knew who the man actually was. Levi only knew his name. He hadn’t even seen the man’s face.

 

The simple, white porcelain mask he wore every day hid his face from Levi, but when asked, he refused to remove it. He was under orders to never remove the mask when in the presence of either of his masters, be it young or old. Eventually, Levi had given up trying.

 

Much to his dismay, the teacup rattled in Levi’s hand. The strain against this thumb never affected him as much as it did tonight. But when the ache seeped up towards his elbow, Levi sighed and placed the teacup down on its saucer, defeated.

 

“Is it causing you pain again, Young Master?” Stuart’s voice took Levi by surprise.

 

“Pardon?’

 

Making his way over, Stuart gently kneeled beside Levi and reached for his hand, careful to touch him as little as possible. “This scar. It never had the chance to heal properly and it has been causing you pain, has it not, Young Master?”

 

Levi quickly pulled his hand from his servants delicate grasp, and bit out a little more sharply than intended, “Thank you for your worry, but it is none of your concern, Stuart.” Absentmindedly, he kneaded the sore muscle with his other hand. For those who knew what to look for, it would be obvious that this was an action for comfort rather than relief.

 

The butler remained rather uncharacteristically quiet, making Levi look to him in curious silence. When their eyes met, Levi felt an uncomfortable flush rise up his neck under the intensity of the gaze. “Were they precious to you?” Levi blinked in confusion, so Stuart continued, “The one who gave you that scar. Were they precious to you?”

 

Levi said nothing. He had been stunned into silence as he tried to find a suitable reply, but Stuart didn’t need one. His answer was written all over Levi's face.

 

The eyes behind the mask grew shadowed as the butler stood once more. “Are you finished with your tea, Young Master?”

 

Levi blinked and looked down into the cup to notice that he had indeed emptied it. “Y-yes. I have.” Levi handed the cup and saucer back to his butler and quickly changed the subject. “Has there been any news from the bastard downstairs for today? It's been uncharacteristically long since his last ‘order’.” Levi’s tone was mocking, somewhat playful in his displeasure at the subject, but he lost it all when the man beside him became rigid like stone. He looked at the floor in dismay and readied himself for what he knew was coming.

 

“The Master has informed me that your next client will arrive at the top of the hour.” There was an uncomfortable pause before he robotically continued, “The client paid the extra fee.”

 

Levi’s shoulders tensed and a shiver of disgust rolled up his spine. Stiffly, he turned his back to the butler and ground through his teeth, “I see, thank you Stuart. You may leave now.” There was silence as the man stood across the bed from him, unmoving. Irritation spiking, Levi glared over his shoulder at the man. “Was there anything else?” he spat out.

 

“No, Young Master. Excuse me.” The butler’s footsteps retreated to the door, and he knocked twice sharply. The locks on the door squealed as they were forced open. Levi could hear the man’s footsteps and the door start to swing shut.

 

The exhaustion that overcame Levi was intense but not unfamiliar. He sank to the satin covered bed, bringing a knee to his chest and a hand to his face. His long, drawn out sigh was forced past his fingers and he raked a hand across his weary face. Levi prepared himself to stand up, ignoring the shaking of his hands when he heard some softly spoken words from the door behind him.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Shocked, Levi turned around on the bed and faced his butler, who looked as straight-laced as ever, his emotionless mask staring back at him. The butler stood still in the doorway, watching from behind his artificial face as if nothing had been said. “I-I’m sorry, Stuart. What was that?”

 

“It is nothing, Young Master. Please excuse me.” He bowed deeply and reached for the iron bound door beside him. As it swung shut, the man spoke over his shoulder, voice tight. “Please inform me when you are finished your preparations. I will tend to your room.” And with that, the door slammed closed, steel bolts slamming into their sockets and locking the younger man inside.

 

Still somewhat shocked, Levi relaxed onto his bed, pressing his back into the silken sheets and rolled his fingers through his partially dried hair. After a moment of thought, he chuckled darkly.

 

I guess this repulsive world hasn’t corrupted everyone. His cruel smile fell away as he locked away his emotions behind his own type of mask. He stared into the mirror on his ceiling, looking at the man on the bed who wore his skin. He clicked in disgust and rolled off the bed to prepare himself, lips pulled back in a dark snarl.

  
_But it’s only a matter of time before it breaks us all._

 

 

 

 

 

 

_(click **[HERE](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yLxr97RypnC00hqZdYL0jwNfe2H172jUjC9GBeWbLic/edit?usp=sharing)**  for my EnRapture Wiki!)_


	5. It's Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wasn't expecting it, you know. For a body to sound like that when it shattered to pieces under his hand, but it did. And it left Eren reeling on his feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish life would just pause, for like, a week. It's going by WAY to quickly for my liking.
> 
> Anyways, I am TRASH to have made you all wait this long. For personal reasons, I had to put this story on the back burner. AGAIN. I'm sorry! But I discovered where I began to dislike my old version of this, so tada! A COMPLETELY new chapter. From here on out, almost everything will change from the first attempt and I will be using my remastered plot to continue from here. There are one or two essential scenes that I need to keep, but I'll be changing how we get to them, so enjoy!
> 
> ALSO. Here are my warnings for the chapter. I get into detail about Eren having a panic attack that is massively enhanced by PTSD (but he doesn't exactly know that yet). And at the very end, I also imply cases of dub-con and rape but are never directly explained, referenced or described. A lot of that will come much later in my story, with the appropriate warnings. ^.^

**Chapter 5**

**It's Enough**

 

"That is hardly appropriate for the situation, Doctor! Honestly!"

 

It was Erwin who spoke up about Hanji’s comment, but Eren wasn’t listening. The scolding voice became ambient sound while Eren stared at his feet. His skin felt like it was on fire, but everything was cold. It was so cold. His hand thrummed with his racing heartbeat, and it was almost painful but he welcomed the sensation. The pain helped ground him to reality. It helped prove that he was… alive. That he had survived. That he had won.

 

It was all over. He was safe so he should feel relieved, right? But…

 

Eren wobbled. His legs felt like lead beneath him, binding him to the filthy tile. He kept begging them to move, but they refused to listen. They were frozen and unresponsive. It wasn’t until his teeth started to clack against each other that he even noticed how violently they shook.

 

Too much. This was too much.  _I need to- I need-_  

 

Finally, his legs gave up and collapsed beneath him, causing Eren to fall to his hands and knees.

 

Time was passing strangely for Eren. It took barely a second for him end up on the floor, but it felt like he fell in slow motion. He could hear a voice dancing along the edges of the bubble he found himself in, carefully inching into his space. It was steady, soothing and warm, but Eren could barely feel it. He knew it was there. He knew it was trying to help him, and yet…

 

Eren’s head fell forward but he caught himself with his hands, cushioning his forehead when it hit the ground. He rubbed the pads of his fingers into his eyes, trying to massage some of the soreness away. They felt heavy and dry, regardless of the moisture that he could feel pooling in them. His eyes felt… dead. His eyes felt dead. Like…

 

Like her.

 

Eren’s breathing hitched as he struggled to keep everything in his stomach where it should be. His body curled inward and he wrapped his arms around himself, falling onto his side while trying to rock the unwanted feelings away. Eren just wanted to escape. He wanted to crawl out of his own disgusting skin and hide where no one could find him. He just wanted to be alone. But as the voice kept talking to him, he felt the emotions coiling deep within his gut.

 

The bubble around Eren was closing in. Each laboured breath brought this sphere of emptiness closer and closer to his skin, where it sunk in and smothered him whole. The voice got quieter and quieter, slipping farther out of his reach and Eren strained to listen to its words. He wanted it to come back and keep him warm, but the bubble had closed in and he could feel it weighing on his skin. It was dragging him down into something familiar but unwelcoming and unforgiving.

 

His heart was beating so viciously, he thought it wanted to burst from his chest. Each thump had his ears ringing and his eyes throbbing, causing him to let a desperate whimper slip out after fighting to remain silent. In his mind, Eren could feel the bubble press insistently against him. It circled his arms and encased them like armor, weighing him down. He felt the same happen around his legs and chest, forcing him to take even heavier breaths.

 

He felt the shards of ice melting against his cheek and side. The coolness of the ice was fresh against his flaming skin, but soon everything went numb. The bubble saw to that. Everything inside Eren’s mind and body grew compliant; everything except his heart.

 

The numbness was leading him away into something dark and familiar and he almost gave into it completely, but his heart fought with all it had. It didn’t want to follow his mind into that black, frozen void. It knew what waited for Eren there. It remembered, even if his mind wouldn't. However, it was an uphill battle and it was losing. Eren could feel himself going cold, the voice around his head no longer providing him with the warmth he craved.

 

Slowly, his eyes closed, completely sealing away any last glimpse of light in this overwhelming darkness. Doing so caused the roaring between his ears to fall silent, much to his relief. His breathing began to steady so Eren let his hands fall away from his face. They rested against the shards on the ground, causing a sound like clinking glass to fill his ears before everything ceased.

 

Everything just stopped and Eren couldn’t even shudder in fear. For a single, agonizing second, he couldn’t hear or feel anything. But then Eren opened his eyes.

 

A wall covered in panes of glass faced him, the twinkling lights of Rapture behind them. The room felt chilly, and small draft sent shivers across his damp skin. Drops of water slithered down his back, falling from the strands of hair he had slicked back across his head. A towel was tightly wrapped around his waist, separating his naked thighs from the cloud-like bed sheets beneath him. His legs were crossed, and resting on his knee was a delicate teacup and saucer.

 

Without him ordering it to do so, his hand lifted the teacup to his lips and he took a slow, gratifying sip. The warm, savory liquid warmed him instantly. It slipped down his throat and ignited through him all the way to his core. Eren relaxed into it, a small smile coming to his lips, feeling the ice that smothered his heart melt away piece by piece.

 

_“Were they precious to you?”_

 

Startled, Eren looked up. He hadn’t been expecting the deep, monotone voice to interrupt the silence. The scene had changed suddenly, causing Eren to blink in surprise. He was no longer holding the dainty handle in his fingers and a man appeared suddenly, a few paces from his side. A tray was tucked snugly under his arm and his white mask shone in the pale light.

 

The stranger’s head tilted slightly before he walked over and knelt at Eren’s side, gently taking his hand on his own.  _“Were they precious to you? The one who gave you that scar. Were they precious to you?”_

 

Confused, Eren looked down. For the first time, he noticed that the hand held in the gentle grip was not his own. It was far too thin. The bones were much too visible beneath the porcelain skin and the nails were manicured, perfect and painted white. The only blemish on the otherwise flawless skin was a thick, jagged red line that circled the base of his thumb. Looking more closely, Eren noticed it was an angry, and obviously quite painful, scar.

 

Eren felt his hand yanked from the other man’s grip. _That scar. Why do I…_

 

A loud, deafening sound ripped through his head, causing Eren’s mind to come to a screeching halt. Everything in the room around him fractured and shattered like glass in an instant and the man in the mask disappeared like smoke. Eren felt his consciousness return like an elastic band and without meaning to, Eren’s hand flew to his temple. His eyes shot open in shock. Feeling the control over his body return, Eren let out a shaky, exhausted breath.

 

“ _-sus Christ,_  Hanji! I warned you not to aim so close to him! What if you misfired?! Are you trying to get him killed so soon after we’ve rescued him!?”

 

Eren blinked a few times, clearing out the stickiness he felt behind his eyelids. Carefully, he lifted his arm and gazed at his own, outstretched hand. He let out a sigh of relief, seeing the flawless skin that spanned his palm.

 

“Hey, I’m not  _that_  bad of a shot, blondie.”

 

“The hallway mirror begs to differ,” the first voice seethed.

 

It was surprisingly difficult to turn his neck, but Eren did so. His eyes lazily swept the room, recognizing the filthy surroundings, but stopped short when his sight was blocked by a large figure. The stranger was a polite distance away from his side, kneeling just in his line of sight. Eren jolted in surprise and was about to launch himself upwards when a cautious hand reached out and the figure spoke up, “Hey kid, have you returned to reality?”

 

Eren stared at the hand blankly before reaching for it and letting the other man pull him upright. His mind buzzed a bit from the rush to his head, but everything straightened out and Eren took a good look at the stranger’s face. His brain blanked out for a moment, like it was trying to recognize the ruggedly handsome man and his voice but the answer was hidden behind a shield of smoke.

 

“You are… Have we met before? Do I know you?” Eren asked, still in a daze.

 

The man’s face faltered ever so slightly, but it was quickly hidden behind a large, kind smile. “I should hope so, Eren. After all, I did just save your life.”

 

“Oi, you weren’t the only one, blondie. I helped too, didn’t I?” a pouting voice from behind him cut in.

 

The smile never faltered and he didn’t even look back before replying, “Not even a little bit, Hanji.”

 

Hearing the friendly jab and the name that came with it, Eren finally recognized the pair. “Dr. Zoe? Mr. Smith? How did you...”

 

A mop of brown hair popped over Erwin’s shoulder and a cheeky grin shone down at him. “Hey there, kiddo.” The doctor walked around Erwin, keeping her hand close to his back. She quickly passed something to him before coming around to Eren’s other side and taking his hand in hers, her thumb brushing against the inside of his wrist. Hanji was staring right into his eyes and Eren realized he couldn’t look away. “How are you doing, Eren? You had quite the episode there.” Her grip tightened slightly.

 

A tired sigh broke Eren’s surprised trance and he shamelessly grinned into his lap. “I’m not even sure how to reply to that anymore.” He looked down, eyeing his right hand. Hanji’s grip loosened innocently, but Eren could feel how her eyes darted to Erwin. He pretended not to notice how she nodded once, sharply.

 

Looking back up, Hanji was smiling gently at him like before, but both of her hands now covered his. He anchored himself to the warmth and let himself relax. “What happened? Why are you here? _How_ are you here?”

 

"We vaulted down the maintenance shaft,” Hanji shrugged, nonchalant. Eren would have believed her passé attitude had her eyes not been gleaming with excitement.

 

Eren blinked in mild surprise, not excepting that answer. “What, really?”

 

“It was a stroke of luck, honestly.” The blond smiled slightly, but it didn’t quite meet his eyes. “The shaft had been blocked for years by debris and garbage that had been discarded into it, but a pair of splicers came by and, well…” Erwin trailed off a little wistfully.

 

“The woman pulled out a rocket launcher and blew a hole through it!” Hanji finished for him. She cackled aloud, shoulder shaking. “They were arguing or something and she just pulls a _rocket launcher_ out from underneath her _skirt_ … and just… it all went BOOM!” she exclaimed, releasing Erem’s hand and throwing her own into the air for effect. “Funniest damn thing I’ve seen all WEEK!”

 

Eren felt himself smiling and almost laughing along with the doctor. Her snorting was absolutely contagious, so he looked towards Erwin to see if he was affected as well. Staring at the older man, Eren saw a tight smirk across his lips but his eyebrows were drawn together, like he was deep in thought. “It was extremely… lucky.” Erwin agreed, but the look on his face proved that he believed _luck_ had nothing to do with it.

 

Wanting to fill the tense moment of silence they found themselves in, Eren spoke up. “But why are you here? Why did you come now?”

 

“We couldn’t afford to wait any longer. The situation deviated much too far from our original plan and you were in danger. Our only option was to come down here and save you ourselves, at the loss of the control room.” Erwin nodded to himself, but his eyes met Eren’s solidly. They were deep and calculating and Eren found himself sitting up straight under their weight.

 

“But don’t worry, kiddo,” Hanji winked. “You’re worth it.”

 

“What exactly happened? I just remember falling to my knees and my chest felt… cold. Everything was cold.” Eren muttered, lifting a hand to his face. The truth was, Eren remembered everything that happened, but he wasn’t sure _why_ it happened. His two _saviours_ probably knew, but Eren wasn’t sure if he could rely on them to tell him the truth right now. Everything felt too… convenient. The whole situation gave him a fluttering feeling in his stomach, and he was more willing to listen to it than them at the moment.

 

“You passed out. Rather abruptly I might add, and you were unconscious for nearly thirty minutes before we arrived.” Erwin clarified, causing Eren to balk slightly in surprise. He hadn’t noticed him stand, but Erwin was now calmly walking through the room, hands behind his back. He was making his way towards Eren’s other side, but never stopped facing Eren, who noticed the somewhat strange behavior. His eyes narrowed slightly, but he wasn’t exactly put out by it. It seemed like a friendly enough action, yet Eren continued to watch him out of the corner of his eye. “I believe today’s events finally caught up with you in a rather nasty way. You were vividly hallucinating.”

 

“Yeah, kiddo. When we got here, you were all, ‘ _It’s not my hand! It’s not my hand!’._  It was quite funny, if you ask me,” Hanji giggled.

 

Again, Erwin spoke without looking towards her, “No one did, Hanji.” She retorted quietly under breath something along the lines of ‘ _extremely rude’_  and  _‘didn’t ask you either.’_

 

Meanwhile, Eren was frowning, recalling the events of his dream. “Hallucinating, you say. I'm not exactly surprised. I mean, I had the strangest dream…” he began. “It was so vivid, almost like it was a memory or something.” Both Hanji and Erwin’s attention snapped back to him and Eren did his best not to flinch under it.

 

“Is that so? What happened in this dream of yours, kid?” Erwin asked, leaning against the wall and carefully eyeing Eren’s face.

 

“Well, I was sitting on a bed, wrapped in a towel or something. And I believe I was drinking tea? But there was a man in a white mask there-” Eren stopped short when the other two immediately looked at each other, eyes wide. “What?”

 

A silent conversation passed between the two, and Eren felt a little left out. The silence wasn’t helping his suspicions but before long, Erwin spoke up. He ran a heavy hand across his face, “I am confident that what you experienced wasn't a  _dream_ exactly, but we don’t have time to explain at the moment.” Erwin stepped away from the cracking plaster against his back and approached Eren to offer his hand once more. “Can you stand?”

 

“Y-yeah.” Taking Erwin’s hand, Eren shakily got to his feet. He was up and moving comfortably until there was a loud crunch beneath his foot. Looking down, Eren felt his stomach tighten a bit. He bit his lip and looked away, losing his train of thought. His intake of breath caught Hanji’s attention.

 

“Eren, look at me.” Eren recoiled visibly. He hadn’t expected Hanji’s voice to be so close to his face, but did as she asked. Turning his head, Eren found himself looking into an intense but honest gaze and he met it without hesitation.

 

“Eren, you need to understand something here and now. That woman from before,” Hanji pointed at her feet, “was going to kill you. In this world, that isn’t an uncommon scenario, alright? You did what you had to, to survive. There is nothing wrong with that.” She lifted her hands and gently cupped his face, making sure he never looked away. Her sincerity was comforting but there was still a bitter grip on his heart.

 

“Know that you are not alone, Eren.” Erwin spoke up from behind Eren and placed a heavy hand on his head. The warmth of it had a knot forming in Eren’s throat. In a battle between his mind and his heart, somehow, both were losing and he felt himself choke on his emotions. “We are here for you, so don’t take this on all by yourself. Okay?”

 

Weakly, Eren pulled Hanji’s hands away and shook Erwin off. Not wanting to be rude, he explained, “I just… killed somebody! Please don’t-” he swallowed thickly, “don’t make me… brush that off.”

 

“Oh Eren,” the doctor sighed.

 

“I know! Don’t pity me either! Just… give me a second to process all of this.”

 

“Well, considering your version of ‘processing it all’ resulted in you collapsing to the floor in a panicking heap, I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Hanji gave him a gentle pat on his head and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. He was thankful for her presence, but he was surprised to find he wasn’t uncomfortable with her familiarity.

 

She opened her mouth to speak again, but Erwin beat her to it. “Alright, but please make it fast. We are losing precious time here.”

 

Erwin had moved to the open door and was cautiously peeking out, his hands up near his head. In his grasp, Eren noticed that he held something black and shiny. It took Eren a second to realize that it was a small pistol. Thinking back to their awkward behavior when he first came to, it was probably what Hanji and Erwin had been hiding from him. Eren was suddenly reminded of the loud sound that shook him from his nightmare and he whirled on Hanji in bewilderment. “Did you shoot a gun near my head to wake me up?!”

 

Hanji blinked at him before breaking into a sheepish grin. “It was his idea.” Eren looked towards the other man who was suddenly extremely interested in the hinges on the door.

 

Eren puffed out a bemused sigh. “There is probably something very wrong with you people,” he muttered. Hanji squeezed his shoulder to draw his attention and winked.

 

“We’re clear,” Erwin interrupted from the door. “Let’s get moving before we come across more trouble than we can handle. Again, Eren I will ask you this.”

 

He lowered the gun to his side and stared Eren down, enforcing the seriousness of the situation once more, “Will you please trust us? As soon as we step outside this door, please understand that I cannot have you doubting your choice. I’ve noticed your hesitation around us in the past few minutes and it’s pretty understandable why, but I promise you, your health and safety is of the utmost importance to us. I will repeat this fact until you believe it. But time is of the essence,” Eren found his spine straightening under the penetrating stare Erwin gave him. “and I will not risk any of our lives if you cannot return the favor. I have given you my trust, Eren. Will you give me yours?”

 

With Hanji against his side and Erwin just feet away, Eren was surprised to feel no more conflict in his heart. The situation was far beyond his control, and a part of him was deeply terrified of what awaited him in his future, but with these two strangers here, guarding him and swearing their lives to his, Eren didn't even hesitate with his decision. But before he voiced his answer, Eren took advantage of the silence and asked a very important question; One that had been eating at the back of his mind since this all began.

 

“Why?” Eren took a step forward, followed by another. It was his turn to ask questions, and he wanted to make sure it mattered. He wanted to make sure this one, little thing was answered before he made his choice. Feeling his confidence build, he began, “Why are you so willing to give up your lives for mine? You said you were hired to get me out of this city.” Eren was now face to face with Erwin who hadn’t yet moved an inch. “Surely you’re not in this for the money. So why, Dr. Hanji? Mr. Smith?”

 

Hanji began, "Well Eren, that's a rather complic-"

 

“Our reasons are purely for our own gain, if I must be honest.”

 

“Erwin,” Hanji sighed. She didn’t exactly sound surprised by his honesty.

 

“No, Doctor! He deserves to know.” A tentative hand fell on Eren’s shoulder. “It’s true, our purpose is to get you out of this city, Eren, but that is not the only thing we will earn from this.” Removing his hand, Erwin fully shut the door and rested the full weight of his body against it with a heavy sigh.

 

“When we found you in the Vita-Chamber a few years ago, our lives changed. You became our one and only purpose.” A bitter smile plastered across his face. “The irony of our story, Eren, is that the mistakes made by adults could not be solved by adults. We needed something more. We needed someone else to step in and correct the mistake we made and over time, we discovered that all we needed was a boy.”

 

“Eren,” Hanji continued, “you are that boy.”

 

“Me?” Eren blinked, not exactly surprised but taken aback none the less.

 

“You represent everything we’ve ever failed to protect and we were given another rare, unbelievable chance. The simple fact that you survived the horrors of your existence changed the future of this city. There was no hope here. Not for me and not for the doctor. None of us had any hope,” His eyes fell back to Eren who stood in mute, contemplative silence, “until we found you.”

 

Erwin glanced at Hanji who nodded, lips pressed into a firm line.

 

“There is a wrong we must right, Eren. This is all that we can do to atone for our mistakes.” Erwin’s shoulders sagged as if a huge weight had been taken off them, and his voice cracked slightly. Eren was surprised to hear it, considering how calmly the blond had explained his situation, but now he rushed his words as if he was trying to backtrack. “That is all I can say at this moment, but I promise you we will explain in more detail at another time! I’m sorry if that is not what you wished to hear-”

 

“It’s enough.” Surprised, Erwin’s head swung back to the younger man’s face. “It’s enough, Mr. Smith. I trust you.” Eren smiled kindly at the doctor. “Both of you.”

 

Lifting a hand, Eren offered it to Erwin who grasped it tightly in his. It shook slightly in his grip.

 

“Thank you, Eren,” he whispered. “Thank you.”

 

 

  

* * *

 

 

 

Levi slipped the dress shirt over his head, trying not to catch the delicate material on his towel dried hair. It slithered over his arms and he repressed a disgusted shiver as it encased his skin. The sensation of the cloth was almost as repulsive as the memories he gained from wearing it, but he continued to dress regardless. Levi buttoned the cuffs, feeling them tighten like shackles around his wrist and smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles on the sleeves. Bit by bit, with each piece of clothing he put on, Levi became someone else. Something else.

 

Working quickly, Levi donned the rest of his outfit, knowing that time was short. Once he had strapped the delicate leather to his feet, metal ornaments jingling as he placed the foot to the floor, Levi turned to the casket at the base of the bed, saving the last piece to his picture for last.

 

In the short distance, Levi felt something inside of him wither away and hide with each step towards the wooden box, but he was relieved. In his mind, he wanted to cease to exist if only for a little while, just so he could escape this… hell he found himself in.

 

_“You know you deserve it, Levi. Otherwise, you wouldn't bother to stay. You could escape this place in the blink of an eye, but you haven't bothered to try. Not even once.”_

 

Levi grit his teeth against the detestable voice that slithered through his memory. That voice rung in his ears so often, he had long since started to agree with it. He deserved this. He deserved to rot in his hell for everything he had done. For everyone he had failed.

 

A flash of a young smile exploded behind his eyes, its radiance and purity never failing to take Levi by surprise. He heart clenched once, but then it fell silent and calm as Levi shoved the memory from his mind.

 

_Not now. Don’t come out now._

 

Before he realized, his knees were on the icy wooden floor by the ancient chest. The lid was open, rusty, earthy smells rising from it as Levi stared down at the mask, surrounded by cloth and wrappings, which enslaved him to his misery. The soft azure hue from the mother of pearl caught the light from the waters outside his window. Warm shades of blue welcomed him and he almost felt himself relax, staring into its abyss. But a bitter hand curled over his heart once more reminding him of his fate. His grip on edges of the crate tightened.

 

Levi found the mask to be as revolting at the city of Rapture itself. It mocked his dream to see that blue covered sky, separated by the leagues of open ocean above him. It laughed at his wish to watch the stars shine in the sky; the sky he didn’t even dare gaze upon in his sleep. He knew he didn't deserve to bask in its beauty, but that only made him crave it more.

 

Standing, Levi tore his gaze from the damned thing and made his way to the mirror. Despite the anguish on his face and the exhaustion in his eyes, Levi had not a single hair out of place. He was the perfect God for his people to worship. He was the perfect mystery for them to grovel over. He was the perfect rarity that had ever graced them with his presence. He was the perfect doll.

 

No. He was the perfect puppet.

 

A delicate ring cut through the room from the little bell next to the door, which told Levi it was time. His limbs felt heavy under the feather light cloth and he moved as if through water but as soon as a gloved hand lifted the radiantly decorated mask to his face, Levi felt his second-self come to the surface. He locked away everything that he was behind the blue mask. It smothered his face from chin to brow, fulfilling its duty as the muzzle it was meant to be. Tying it tightly under the locks of his raven black hair, Levi stood numbly and made his way to the door.

 

Two sharp raps were all that was needed before the door clicked loudly and groaned as it swung open, revealing his two guard dogs. Levi almost rolled his eyes when they swiftly reached out and grasped his shoulders. Internally, he recoiled in disgust from the sweat dripping from their hands but with his mask on, he was the doll. He was a piece of art not meant to hold emotion. And so he stayed true.

 

It was a decently long walk to the service room with many hallways, corners and locked doors between Levi and his destination, but time always slowed when Levi walked this path. Every jingling step away from his room was another step towards the life he refused to acknowledge. He denied it with every ounce of this soul and he did his best to forget it during the hours of the night, more often than not, it was impossible to ignore.

 

“I wonder ‘ow much ‘e cost this time.” Levi felt his lip curl in disgust as the man at his side decided to strike up conversation with his partner. “Whaddya think, eh Bruce? The usual bonus or did ‘e buy out?”

 

“I heard there was a bidding war.”

 

“Aah, really? 'ow much was ‘e?”

 

“Apparently the final price was for three times more than last week’s top bid.”

 

There was an awkward silence as the man thought. Levi could almost feel the loose gears falling from the man’s ears as his brain worked too hard. “Three times more… ?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

More silence. “Three times... 'ow much is that?”

 

“Seriously Leonard, we’re getting into this again? Didn’t I teach you this last week?”

 

The man spluttered. “Sh-shut up, Bruce! You know I ain’t good with math!”

 

“You’re not good at a lot of things, Leonard.”

 

“Whatever, Bruce.” Levi was relieved to feel the conversation end there, but that feeling was quickly stolen away when the man chuckled to himself. “You know, I’d probably do ‘im.” The utter revulsion in Levi’s stomach almost had his vision swimming. Smartly, his partner said nothing. “With that small figure, tiny 'ands… shame ‘e ain’t prettier. Would be nice if ‘e 'ad longer 'air like a woma-” Someone cleared their throat loudly and the man instantly silenced.

 

The guards stopped before the service room when Stuart stepped from the shadows. “Your job is done, you may leave.” The two men hesitated, their grips faltering and Levi had to dissuade himself from either ripping their hands off at the wrists or off their bodies entirely. He couldn’t decide what would satisfy him more. Instead, he just stared at a spot on the wall and tried to withdraw further into his mind. “That is an order. Leave.”

 

The look the butler gave the pair sent them scampering away with their tails between their legs like the mutts they were.

 

Carefully, Stuart approached and placed a gentle but firm hand on Levi’s lower back. He understood that the Levi he knew was locked away in the young man’s mind, so he guided the Lamb of the People through a vast archway and into the room beyond it.

 

As usual, the room was lush with curtains, lights, foods and the like, ready for the party of two. Or more. Levi was never informed beforehand, so it was always a… bitter surprise when more than one guest showed up. Robotically, Levi walked to his throne atop the stage in the center of the room and placed himself on it, stiff as a board, watching the candle light dance with the artificial breeze. And there, he waited, like he had countless times before.

 

Stuart stood by the door, eyes downcast until a much louder bell than before rung out. Moving gracefully, Stuart opened the door and bowed deeply, not meeting the eyes of the noble who entered.

 

As soon as the man’s foot entered onto the plush red carpet, Levi felt the atmosphere change. It was so sudden and unfamiliar that Levi’s internal mask – his shield - cracked along the edges. Instantly, he was fully alert, but he had no clue as to why. 

 

And that unsettled him deeply.

 

A hearty pair of lips parted in a welcoming grin and the man threw his arms wide as if greeting an old friend. “Oh, my Lamb! I am graced with your presence.” With a flourish, he bowed as deeply as one could with a stomach protruding over the waist of his pants. “Thank you for sharing with this lowly follower, some of your precious time.” He straightened and Levi took a careful glance at the man’s face.

 

Everything seemed… expected. Everything about him seemed so normal, like his wondrous awe, the expensive suit and tie, the cigar in his breast pocket, the ring on his left hand. Not to mention the man seemingly sweat dollar bills. It was so… predictable?

 

But what Levi couldn’t understand was the malicious, calculating stare that he felt boring through his chest as the man watched him.

 

Feigning disinterest, Levi nodded at the man, not speaking as he was told so long ago. It was permission to continue.

 

“Ah, I have been a great admirer of yours since the very beginning, my Lamb. I have utterly devoted myself to your… cause.” The man swallowed around the word awkwardly. But suddenly he smiled, looking like a child with a naughty secret. Levi’s interest peaked.

 

The protective walls deep within started to crumble away.

 

“My name, my Lamb is considered to be a world renowned feat of strength. Perhaps you have heard of me?” His eyes darted to the side, as if he was nervous. But from what Levi could tell, that was not the case. “My name is Dimo Reeves, my Lamb. Once again, it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

 

There was a deep breath that came from neither Levi nor Mr. Reeves, startling only one of them. The other smiled in amusement. Mr. Reeves was about to speak up again before he was promptly interrupted.

 

“Excuse me, young master but I must excuse myself.” The words were roughly forced between the butlers lips. The tightness in the man’s shoulders rolled as he wrung his hands behind his back. “I thank you for your selfless service. Now please, pardon me.” Stuart spun on his heel, giving away more hints to his distress than his porcelain mask could hide.

 

But before he could withdraw to the hallway, Stuart went rigid as the man raised a single hand to stop him cold.

 

“No. Butler, I want you to stay.” The playful smile the man gave didn’t reach his eyes. Behind the mask, Levi watched the man carefully, trying to decipher his game. “After all, the more the merrier.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yLxr97RypnC00hqZdYL0jwNfe2H172jUjC9GBeWbLic/edit?usp=sharing) for my Bioshock Wiki! If you have any other questions, or there is something you think I should put into the wiki, feel free to send them my way! Thank you, lovelies. ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for your patience.. I'll do what I can to get the next chapter up soon! See ya next time!


	6. That Sinking Feeling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm looking at how long it's taking me to get these out, and this time I'm glad I was patient because I'm really quite proud of this chapter and it took me a long time to get it right. Hopefully, this gets the ball rolling because I seemed to have hit my writers block with a bulldozer. Lets just hope there isn't another one ahead.
> 
> NEEDLE warning for this chapter. It ends after the ***** for those of you who are bad with that, however it is a very brief and light description. :)

**Chapter 6**

**That Sinking Feeling**

 

 

 

When Eren emerged from the room, Vita-Chamber crackling loudly behind him, he couldn’t help bouncing on the balls of his feet.

 

Miraculously, the party of three made it back to the room where Eren had first woken without any incident. They had crept slowly through the halls, cautious of every dark corner they passed. Once they arrived at the hidden room, Eren felt himself relax somewhat, comforted by the familiar surroundings. After closing off the entrance behind them, they all got on their hands and knees to search for the gently glowing vial of Eve Eren had unwisely left behind. It didn’t take them long to search the whole room, but they found it, much to Eren’s nervous dismay.

 

After refusing to take any further advice from Hanji, Erwin managed to walk Eren through the process of injecting himself with Eve. Reflecting on the scene, Eren remembered nervously eyeing the needle while it trembled above the tender skin of his wrist and the nervous sweat that dribbled down his neck. After it was over and done with, he knew not to fear the tiny yet sharp needle, but to anticipate the explosion of energy and adrenaline that came after the vial had emptied into his system.

 

His body sang happily, the effects of the potent drug quenching any abnormal thirst that remained in his system. Eren’s mind felt clearer than it had ever been before and all the exhaustion in his limbs evaporated away. Lips pulling back into a wide smile, Eren stared down at the gentle layer of frost that pooled at his fingertips. It was much easier to access the energy once he was refreshed like this, and he just knew in no time at all that he could get addicted to this invigorating feeling, this feeling of being strong, of being powerful.

 

*****

 

The tense muscles of his body relaxed, allowing to Eren roll out his shoulders and back, a satisfying pop echoing throughout the cramped room. He hadn’t been expecting the sound, so it snapped him out of his thoughts for a moment as he stood alert. Hanji and Erwin were inspecting the Vita-Chamber and didn’t even notice, so Eren relaxed, laughing to himself.

 

“-ren’s vitals weren’t properly documented into the system.” Turning, Eren joined the two at the lightning chamber and watched as they worked on some small panels he hadn’t noticed before.

 

“This thing looks pretty beaten up,” Eren noted, waving a hand at some dent marks and scratches all along the outer shell. “Could that be why? Was something damaged?”

 

Hanji got up from where she lay on the ground and stood beside him to eye the damage. “Possibly. But unlikely.”

 

To their right, Erwin added, “The countdown display was untouched and was working perfectly. I don’t think the external damage was the issue.” He looked to Hanji. “Perhaps the vitals hadn’t been connected properly?”

 

She hummed. “No, that’s also unlikely. For the timer to be accurate, it needed to be monitoring his healing progress in live time. Not to mention it would need to document the information to refer to any changes in bodily functions. When he stabilized and was chemically balanced, the timer began to count down."

 

“What do you guys mean, ‘timer’?” Eren asked, curious as to why it seemed so important.

 

“The timer is what kicked ya out of the chamber, kiddo.” Hanji threw an arm around Eren’s shoulders. “Remember when you woke up and face planted the second you took your first breath?” Eren’s nose ached slightly, just remembering. He nodded. “Well, the Vita-Chamber had a timer set on it when we first found you a few years ago. It was counting down to when you would be released from the chamber, fully healed.”

 

Eren blinked. “That’s… quite handy. But who set it?”

 

Beside him, Hanji slumped somewhat and Erwin sighed aloud. “That, kid, we don’t know.”

 

“But we are trying desperately to find out.”

 

Leaving his side after ruffling his hair, Hanji knelt beside Erwin and continued to inspect the chamber.

 

Eren pondered over this information in silence, letting the other two be science-y among themselves. He wouldn’t lie to himself and say that he was calm and understanding, but Eren felt strangely at ease as he mulled over the facts. Right now, this was simply another question for him to answer, another piece to this puzzle and he was nearly giddy just thinking about solving it.

 

“Erwin, look!” The doctor’s voice cut through Eren thoughts and he snapped to attention. He followed her pointing finger and saw the out of place cord that fed into the wall. “That patch cable. It’s in better condition than the rest.”

 

“Good catch, Hanji.”

 

“Thank you. I try.”

 

“Sometimes.”

 

“Oi!” Hanji playfully kicked an empty can at Erwin’s head. Reaching around the machine to the wiring along the back, he felt the aluminium bounce off the back of his head and clatter to his side. He chuckled quietly before feeling the thick cord brush along his fingertips. With a grunt, he stretched with all his might, felt his hand wrap around it and pulled.

 

“Got it!”

 

Eren moved forward to help the older man pull the cord away from the wall. Quite a few flimsy metal fasteners snapped away under their strength but they managed to completely pull it from the outlet with a muffled pop.

 

“Hanji, you were correct.” Erwin stood, holding the rope like cord in his hand, dust falling away to reveal bright neon orange rubber spanning it. Eren recoiled slightly, the colour taking him by surprise in the muted surroundings. “This cord is in perfect condition! It’s practically brand new. This is probably what we…” he trailed off.

 

Nails drumming against glass had both of them looking back to the doctor in question. A gentle beam of light was reflecting in her glasses and it seemed to be flashing rather insistently. “Actually, it looks like I hit the nail on the head.” She beckoned the pair over with a finger. Eren offered his companion a hand and hoisted Erwin to his feet who nodded in thanks. Leaning over Hanji’s shoulder, Erwin glanced at the screen and his brow furrowed almost instantly. Now even more curious, Eren followed suit and found himself staring down at a ribbon of red, flashing words slowly typing itself out on the screen.

 

**LIVE TRANSMISSION LOST**

**SYSTEM OFFLINE**

**E.S.I. HAS BEEN CONTACTED**

 

When the last sentence spread across the screen, Erwin’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. Eren choked, not expecting the older man's face to contort so obviously. Hanji herself squeaked in surprise, seeing the words on the screen but she was clutching her sides in uncontrollable laughter after staring at Erwin’s face for a few heartbeats.

 

“W-what? What does that mean, what’s wro-“

 

“Those _bastards!_ ” Erwin cut the brunet off. Taking a step back, Eren was flailing his hands around in flustered panic, seeing Hanji now kneeling on the ground in laughter and the older man kicking the chamber with his foot several times, swearing with each thud.

 

From the ground, Hanji was recovering enough to spit out some words between her hiccups, “I can’t even e-explain the perfection of the situation. Oh, Erwin, I’m so sorry but your face, I just-“

 

“Hanji, don’t even start with me,” he sighed, exasperated.

 

“Okay,” Eren began, “seriously what is going on?”

 

Finally on her feet once more, Hanji answered, “Karma. _Karma_ is what’s going on.”

 

Eren gave her a flat look. She didn’t exactly answer his question, so he looked over to Erwin, who was pinching the bridge of his nose and raised an eyebrow in question. Not even needing to look up to see his face, Erwin answered, “The company we just alerted. E.S.I.?” Eren nodded. “It’s mine.”

 

Eren blinked. “What?”

 

“He owns it. E.S.I.. Erwin Smith Industries.”

 

“ _Used to_ , Hanji. _Used to_ own it.”

 

“You mean you built this thing?!” Eren spluttered.

 

“Yes and no. We- E.S.I. owns the right to the technology, but a third party invented, built and tested them.” A meaningful glance was shot Hanji’s way. She just giggled.

 

“Third party…” Looking at Hanji who was smiling like the devil with a secret, Eren put it together. “No way. Dr. Zoe, you built this thing?”

 

“Yep! Well, I invented the theory after years of study and I had just started testing our first device. But,” her eyes lost some of their mirth, “apparently, that was not my calling.” The smile completely fell from her face, “Or so they said.”

 

“… Doctor?”

 

“Regardless!” Erwin cut in, “We just triggered the silent alarm. It’s time we move on. Gather what you need.”

 

“Such a shame,” the doctor added. “I would have loved to see the results.”

 

“What do you mean?” Looking up from her feet, Hanji met Eren’s eyes. “I’m right here, aren’t I? What more do you need?” he asked, honestly.

 

She opened her mouth to reply, but slowly closed it and smiled. Hanji just walked over to him and ran her fingers through his hair to ruffle it. Slightly flustered, Eren looked down to hide his small smile. It grew when Erwin gave him a pat on the back and a thankful nod.

 

He enjoyed the warm silence for a moment while they gathered their things, but his curiosity got the better of him. Eren spoke up and asked, “So, what’s our next move?”

 

“That’s a good question, kid. The building itself isn’t safe anymore. E.S.I. knows where we are now and might be aware of what we are up to.” Erwin approached the doorway and began lifting the barricade to clear the way. “All of these splicers roaming around doesn’t help much either, but we need to get you through these halls and up to the security tower. We will need to make a last minute stop along the way for something to… defend yourself with.”

 

Eren and Hanji quickly stepped through the whole and Eren took the weight from Erwin to let the older man through. He was mildly surprised by how light it was, but made no comment. “To defend myself… am I going to be fighting the people upstairs?”

 

“Preferably not,” Hanji commented, “but we want to make sure you stand a chance if you have to. As you are now, you would be walking into your second funeral. We’d need a vacuum to clean up the mess left behind, and I’m not doing that again, it’s not my turn.”

 

Eren opened his mouth to comment but he just ended up scrunching his eyebrows together, slightly perturbed. He dropped the barricade unceremoniously and it crashed to the floor. This woman didn’t exactly beat around the bush, did she?

 

“That’s putting it lightly to say the least.” Apparently, neither did Erwin.

                                                                                   

“I’m glad you have my… safety in mind?”

 

Without turning around, Eren could practically hear the way her smile split her face. “That’s the spirit, kiddo!” He snorted, bemused.

 

“Eren,” all joking aside, Erwin called out, “check the hallway for a moment. Hanji, come take a look at this.” Eren made his way down the hall and peeked around the corner. Seeing it was clear, he stayed where he was but turned to look at the pair who stood by the window, faces lit by the city lights. “What do you think they are doing?”

 

Eren scanned the dark hallway once more before jogging over to join them at the glass. “What, is something happening, Mr. Smith?”

 

Hanji hummed, drumming her fingers loudly against her chin. “We’re not too sure, Eren. Something big is going on, but we are blind. There is only so much we can see from here.” Pointing to the bottom of a building just too far away to see clearly, Hanji showed Eren what they were watching.

 

Small blue lights were moving through the darkness, bobbing with the current of the sea. They began to spread out as they got closer. Once they fell out of the shadow from the building above them, Eren realized they were tiny submarines.

 

“I wouldn’t expect for them to move in on us so quickly, but this isn’t a promising sign. It seems that luck isn’t on our side.” Moving away from the window, Erwin armed himself and began to make his way towards the hall. “We’ve just run out of time. Let’s move.”

 

Hanji turned to wink at Eren before ushering him between them. “Stay close now, Eren!”

 

Eren felt his eyes roll upwards, but replied with a simple “I promise.” An agitated breath sucked past his lips. With Erwin scouting the front, Eren wary in the middle and Hanji guarding their backs, the trio plunged into the depths of the building.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

It took some back tracking and a lot of patience, but somehow, they managed to get to the only staircase leading up from the basement. Eren sighed heavily, placing his hand against the chilly steel and leaning on it, all his earlier enthusiasm being smothered by irritation.

 

“So, let me get this right. If we go through this door, we will reach the staircase leading into the main lobby.”

 

“Uhh, no,” the doctor muttered.

 

“Uhh, no?!”

 

“Not exactly, there are two basement levels, B1 and B2. Right now, we’re on B2. ‘Still have one more to go.”

 

“What, this staircase can’t be used to get to the lobby?”

 

To prove their point, Erwin blatantly opened the door to the stairway, dodging the pieces that came loose. “Not if you want to crawl your way through six solid feet of rubble.”

 

“No thanks.” Eren strained out before following Erwin into the pitch black of the hallway to their left. They continued down the straight hallway and found the second emergency staircase. Thankfully, this one was clear.

 

He groped his way through the darkness, carefully placing his feet on each and every stair, using the railing to guide himself upwards. He stepped on some rocks a few times and felt himself teeter, but the doctor placed a gentle steadying had on his back every time. When he felt the railing warp, he knew they had reached the next floor.

 

“Eren I want you to open the door for me, and I’ll go first to scout the room.”

 

With a few seconds of blind flailing, Eren felt his palm close around the handle of the door. “Got it.”

 

“Okay, on three.” Eren grunted in agreement. “One… Two… Three!” He heaved the door open and cringed with the sound of the hinges screaming in protest. It took less than a minute for Erwin to call out for them.

 

“Looks like we’re clear, kid.”

 

Nodding to himself, Eren pushed the door completely open and stepped through. He held it for Hanji who thanked him with a pat on the head, before closing it firmly behind them. The room looked much like the ones from the floor below, but the shelves were much more barren and the ground was littered with broken glass and garbage. An unpleasant stench wafted to his nose and he gagged slightly.

 

“Damn, what is that smell? It’s so foul, almost sour smelling.”

 

“Probably decaying corpses.”

 

“It’s what-”

 

Before he could finish his reply, Erwin’s voice cut through the air in a desperate hiss. “Eren, hide!”

 

He didn’t even have time to process what he was doing before Eren found himself face first on the floor, cowering behind an overturned desk, Hanji protected under him. Adrenaline exploded through him at the man’s command and he acted without thinking. Beneath him, Hanji blinked in surprise, having been standing on two feet a moment before.

 

On his own accord however, Eren shimmied across the ground, trying to disrupt as little of his surroundings as possible until he found his face pressed against the edge of the desk. He peered around it cautiously.

 

In the darkest part of the hallway that branched away from the room, he could barely make out a silhouette. Judging by the way it lumbered around, hunched over and groaning, it probably wasn't friendly. He let out a puff of air he didn’t realize he was holding, somewhat relieved that the danger wasn’t as immediate as he was expecting.

 

“I thought you said this room was clear!” Eren whispered to the man a few tables across from him.

 

“It was! He must have been in my blind spot.” Erwin bit out in irritation.

 

“Remember how you asked me to trust you before? Yeah, well. That’s becoming rather difficult to do, considering this!?” His hand flailed lamely, gesturing to the not-as-vacant-as-it-should-be hallway.

 

“Hey now, what was that Eve hypo filled with? 90% sarcasm and 10% bitterness?” Hanji wryly added.

 

Eren gasped dramatically, raising a hand to his mouth. "I got the sarcasm from my mother, and I am quite proud of that fact, thank you very much! But the bitterness," he resisted the urge to smirk, "that is entirely your fault."

 

“Eren, Hanji, this is hardly the time! Would you please tone it down and focus on the issue here?” Erwin whispered angrily.

 

Eren clicked his tongue, but he instantly calmed down, his thoughts losing all of their playful sarcasm and he took in the situation in cautious silence.

 

While he watched, the warped figure of the splicer disappeared into a room, the door clicking shut behind them. He took this chance to peer up and over the desk and scout the rest of his surroundings. Everything looked clear to him so he carefully and quietly stood up, motioning for Erwin and Hanji to do the same.

 

“Where do we go from here? That guy entered the room on the left and it sounded like he locked himself in.”

 

“Unfortunately, we’re going to have to go towards the splicer to get out of this area but we have no idea if the rest of it will be clear. We could be running straight into a horde of them for all we know.” Erwin spoke bluntly, laying out the heavy truth. He worded his reply carefully, as if waiting for Eren to outright refuse to do as he said. The man waited, tense, while Eren processed this.

 

Eren swallowed heavily before he inhaled sharply. While trying to think of any other option, a thought crossed his mind and he actually groaned aloud.

 

“Eren?”

 

“Seriously though, what was in that hypo from before? Liquid courage?" The energy that swam through him just continued to build while he paced, and Eren was starting to worry about the after effects on his logic skills.

 

“God, I think I’m suicidal.” He took another moment to think it over, but he had made up his mind the moment the idea popped into his head. Running a dirty palm across his face, Eren groaned out through his fingers, “I’m going to make a run for it.”

 

“Eren, no. We shouldn’t needlessly separate ourselves!”

 

“But we need someone to scout ahead. I’ll be faster than you at least, and Dr. Zoe shouldn’t go if you have the gun. I can at least use the plasmid thing if need be.” Eren was bouncing on his toes, not wanting to think too much on it. If he spent too much time thinking it over, he’d probably chicken out.

 

“I-is that wise?! There is all that debris in the way…”

 

“I’ll be fast doctor, don’t worry. Just keep an eye on that door for me.”

 

“R-right. Erwin, you watch the hall at the other end. Make sure no more come from the other side.” Erwin grunted in reply.

 

Eren could feel his heart beating heavily, the force of it thudding against his chest in nervous anticipation. He shook his hands a few times, jumped from foot to foot as he steeled himself and before he could go back on his plan, he launched himself down the hallway.

 

Everything was going well. He could make it without a hitch, he just needed to watch his feet and he could do it. He could have done it, had every light in the building not turned on with an explosion of white.

 

Eren flinched in shock, lifting his eyes to shield himself from the blinding glare. In doing so, his foot connected solidly with a glass bottle, sending it flying towards the peeling wallpaper where it shattered into hundreds of shards. The sound was deafening in the eerie tranquility of the building. Acting fast, Eren squinted through his fingers and managed to dodge around the corner of the hallway and into what he hoped was an empty room. Apparently, luck was finally on his side as he closed the door on the janitor’s closet.

 

Inside the closet, Eren heard the other two call out his name, followed by crashing and skidding noises. Taking a few deep breaths to quell the shock and fear in his stomach, Eren opened the door and moved down the now clearly lit hallway to peer around the corner and see if any splicers were heading their way. He counted to ten, but no one came and he backtracked quickly, ice dancing on his fingertips, just in case.

 

Both Hanji and Erwin were barricading the door the splicer from before had shuffled into with the toppled desks and anything they could lift. He ran over and helped them with the final bookshelf. When it thudded into place, they fell quiet and listened for anything on the other side. Incoherent mumbling just barely made its way through the walls, but it didn’t sound angry or even agitated. Looking to Hanji, she just shrugged and they relaxed slightly.

 

“Mr. Smith? Did you just turn on the lights?!” he muttered under his breath, panicked but still trying to keep somewhat quiet.

 

“That wasn’t us!” Erwin whispered in kind, aghast. He was checking his gun, counting bullets and removing the safety before moving down the hall to check the corner.

 

“Then who-” Eren spoke mostly to himself, but he was cut off by Hanji’s sharp call.

 

“Erwin, look!” She had quietly approached the window, her back to the wall between the panes. She was carefully leaning to see what was going on outside. “Every goddamn maintenance submarine in the city is coming this way!”

 

“What?! I thought that had abandoned this building!”

 

Hanji’s face flattened into a grim frown. “We weren’t leaked anything about repairs either. Even if they figured out it was us, why would they send mechanics?”

 

Eren was left in the dark again, now figuratively more than literally. “Could they be planning on using this building again for something? Would the rulers of the city come back to scavenge materials or anything from here?”

 

“I-I’m not sure…” The uncertainty in the older man’s voice made Eren extremely nervous. Up until now, Erwin had been calm…

 

“Hanji, come here,” Erwin came back into the larger room and wiped one of the desks clean. Reaching into one of the smaller pockets that lined his pants, he pulled out what looked like a small roll of paper. He smoothed it down across the table, revealing itself to be a map. “We need to rethink about how to get us out of here. Eren, watch the hallway.”

 

The doctor quickly darted away from the wall and knelt by Erwin’s side. “Sounds like a plan. But try not to do anything stupid, okay kiddo?”

 

“Your lack of trust in me pains me greatly,” he joked awkwardly.

 

“At least the feeling is mutual, right?” Slightly panicked by her words, Eren’s head spun around but he relaxed as soon as Hanji’s face broke into a weak but honest smile. Eren found himself responding in kind, but stayed silent.

 

Cautiously, Eren edged past the blocked door and peered into the hallway. Ignoring the debris, it was empty of all life. Just the way they wanted it. Moving quietly, he continued forward, walking alongside the wall. He passed the empty closet he ran into before and moved to the next corner. Even with the lights on, there were some broken bulbs in the ceiling, so patches of shadows covered the hallway he had yet to travel down. At the end of it however, Eren noticed movement. He stiffened, ready to move as needed but when he squinted into the darkness, he noticed the thick pane of glass that separated him and the moving shape. Warily, Eren moved towards the window, curious as to what swam in the waters. Getting closer, his vision cleared somewhat in the shadows and what Eren saw in the depths nearly had him pinching himself. Once again, his heart pounded in his ears, but this time it was for a totally different sensation. His heart thumped in anticipation. He was excited. Slowly moving backwards, Eren rounded the corner and jogged back to the others.

 

“Umm,” Eren hesitated, eyes wide. “I hate to interrupt, but there is a man outside.”

 

“Wh-I beg your pardon?”

 

“There is a man in some suit outside the window and he… he’s doing something.” Both Hanji and Erwin’s heads snapped up, their own eyes wide. Suddenly, they were moving, gathering the map and rolling it tight before motioning Eren to lead the way. There was a mutual agreement for all of them to be absolutely silent.

 

Even at the end of the hallway, it was rather difficult to make out the details of the figure standing on the other side of the glass, so as one, they all moved forward. Only when they were a few feet away did Hanji gasp. She pushed past Eren and ran to the window, face pressed against it in what looked like shock and perhaps an inkling of denial.

 

“N-no. No! You can’t be serious!” Her eyes were tearing slightly when she turned to meet Erwin’s dismal gaze.

 

Completely unaware of either of their reactions, Eren stared the man down and walked to Hanji’s side. He found it absolutely impossible to look away. Slowly, Eren raised his hand to the glass, watching this mysterious man closely. His heart roared in his ears and his breath fogged the pane in front of him. Before he had time to think about it, his knuckles rapped loudly against the window, startling himself and the figure outside with the sudden noise.

 

“Eren! No-” Erwin swore under his breath and tugged at his shoulder, pulling him back. He stumbled with the force of it but held his own. A part of him knew not to look away and so he waited in terrified anticipation.

 

The man outside lifted his head from his work, cocking his head as he turned to stare Eren down. He raised a monstrous drill in his hand from where he had it buried into the ground. The blade of it spun slowly on standby, black fuel spitting out behind it and mixing in with the salty waters. When the man rolled his shoulders and turned to look at Eren properly, a badge on his chest caught the light from the building. The name that was engraved there had Eren’s full attention. **104J-F**.

 

Hanji turned away, hand over her mouth. Even Erwin stopped trying to pull them away from the window, taking a deep breath in shock.

 

That name tag tugged at a memory deep within Eren’s mind, and his hand faltered against the window. He lifted his gaze from the badge and stared into the man’s helmet. From within, Eren could feel the weight of his stare and it sent a shiver down his spine. The yellow light that illuminated his helmet hid most of the man’s features inside. His eyes just barely could be seen behind the glow, and they watched Eren intently. Briefly, the man’s gaze flicked away from Eren’s to see the two standing behind him. Widening in realization, they rounded on Eren and narrowed into furious slits. Eren opened his mouth to say something more when suddenly the golden light vanished with a flash of red, lighting up the helmet with an eerie glow. Like a rabid beast, the man in the suit charged the glass with a silent roar, the bubbles exploding from behind his head. Eren recoiled with a shout into the darkness of the space behind him, hand falling away from the glass to shield his face. Erwin caught him and pulled both Hanji and Eren safely away.

 

The window cracked loudly, a spider web forming where the man’s fist met the glass. He pressed his helmet against the pane and turned his head this way and that, trying to see into the dark hallway that they had fallen backwards into. He continued to pound the window, thankfully with less force than his first strike but his mindless rage shocked Eren immensely. He couldn’t hear a single word the man screamed but he could just make out the snarling lips behind the helmet’s tiny window. Eren couldn’t be completely sure, but he was rather confident that whatever angry words the man was screaming were directed at him.

 

After a few terrifying seconds, the man stilled, fists resting against the glass and his head bowed. His shoulders trembled pitifully, leaving Eren speechless. He stared up at the man from the shadows watching the stranger fall apart before his very eyes. The sight almost disturbed him more than the shattered remains of the splicer from before.

 

Against his back, Eren felt the body shaking. He couldn’t bring himself to look up and see who it was, but with the small hiccup that followed, he didn’t need to.

 

Suddenly, the man’s head jerked and he went rigid, causing Eren to do the same. He slowly pulled away from the window and lifted his gaze from his feet. He stared into the dark hallway and raised his hand to point directly to where Eren cowered. He stood with his hand up for a breath, and the silent promise that escaped with the bubbles behind the man’s head met Eren with full force. He stared silently as the stranger outside took a few steps away, finger still pointing before he vaulted over the underwater cliff, disappearing into the depths below.

 

Anxiously, Eren stood and crept over to the window. He eyed the fist shaped crack against the pane but it looked sturdy enough to him, so he stood and peered out the window. The man was gone. He let out a huge sigh of relief.

 

“He... he’s gone.”

 

Eren’s moment of peace shattered when Hanji did.

 

“W-what was that I was s-saying? About k-karma?” She choked out a laugh that sounded more like a strangled cry.

 

“Oh god,” Erwin’s eyes were tired when he ran a hand over them, but something within them burned in fury, causing Eren to bristle in unease, “it’s worse than we thought.”

 

He spoke up, just barely managing to push the words out past the lump in his throat. “W-what is?” His heart stilled with Erwin’s answer.

 

“Everything.” Over the doctors head, his eyes met Eren’s. “Everything.”

 

Eren was at an absolute loss. He had no idea why his two companions looked like they just ran through hell and back when a thought flashed through his head. Maybe they had.

 

_None of us had any hope, until we found you._

 

Eren’s hand flew to his chest. His nails dug into the fabric across his front, balling it in a tight fist. His heart ached from the way those words resonated with his very being.

_There is a wrong we must right, Eren._

  

_I’m right here, aren’t I? What more do you need?_

 

Suddenly, Hanji’s face from before came to mind. Eren’s hand fell from his chest.

 

“You don’t think…” The anguish in the doctor’s voice had Eren feeling like he wanted to cry. He wrung his hands, not sure how to respond to the shaking of her shoulders.

 

“Hanji.” Erwin took her face in his hand and gently lifted her gaze to his. He mirrored her pain and Eren had to turn away, flustered. “We both knew, Hanji. This is just… proof.” His hand gestured towards the window limply before falling to her back.

 

“I-I know. I know. But I-” Eren had to strain to listen to her voice, muffled against Erwin’s shoulder, “But I hoped.”

 

All the breath left Erwin’s body with that. “Me too.”

 

Unable to handle the fragile silence that followed, Eren awkwardly skipped away from the pair. Careful to avoid the cracks in the glass, he peeked around, looking for any movement. All he saw in the darkness and soot were a few, brightly coloured fish. They were much too calm for anything to be out there. Eren was surprised when he felt a sliver of disappointment.

 

Hearing shuffling behind him, he turned to see the two on their feet. Hanji was wiping her face with her sleeve, an embarrassed smile plastered across her mouth. Erwin was placing a heavy hand on her shoulder, face grim as ever. Eren politely looked away while they regained their composure.

 

Maybe a minute later, Erwin started, “Eren-”

 

“Who was that?” He was surprised his voice didn’t tremble.

 

Hanji was silent, but Erwin took his time to answer. “A mistake.” Hanji snorted weakly. “Our mistake.”

 

“Was he what you were… who you were talking about before? About the ‘wrong you must right’? Mr. 104J-F.” Eren lifted his eyes from the ground and properly met theirs.

 

“Yes. He is.” Hanji answered this time, her voice much more controlled and steady.

 

“I see.”

 

And with that, Eren said nothing else. He nodded once, lips pressed into a tight line and started to walk down the hall.

 

“Eren, where are you-”

 

“We have to move, right? Now that the lights are on, we can’t exactly be stealthy so let’s hurry befo-”

 

Suddenly, the world exploded, and Eren stumbled as the floor beneath him rocked wildly before falling still. Erwin was caught by surprise but Hanji steadied him. The sudden tremble of the building caught him mid stride and he tumbled into the wall to gain his balance. Eren nearly screamed in exasperation. “WHAT?!”

 

Two deafening horns sounded throughout the building, making the three cover their ears and flinch in pain. They roared out slowly, one after the other before they fell silent, leaving a rumbling in their wake. Erwin and Hanji’s eyes met in dread.

 

“T-that was the all clear notice.”

 

Eren looked at the doctor in confusion. “Clear for what?”

 

“The demolition of a building.” Erwin whispered in disbelief.

 

His words felt like a punch to the gut. Gathering his strength Eren spun around, sprinting towards the cracked window. He pressed his face against the glass, trying to see past the spider web that now slowly dribbled ice water over his cheek and hands.

 

And sure enough, there it was. A small blinking light could be seen within the silt of the ground, directly beneath where the man from before had stood. He was far from an expert on the situation, but Eren wasn’t stupid. He knew what dynamite looked like.

 

“Oh my g-Run... RUUN!"

 

**Chapter 6,**

**That Sinking Feeling**

 

 

 

 

 

**So click **[HERE](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yLxr97RypnC00hqZdYL0jwNfe2H172jUjC9GBeWbLic/edit?usp=sharing)**  for my AU Wiki!**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gunna start putting the chapter title at the end of each chapter now because I laughed my ass off coming up with this one. I edit myself, so if you see anything please let me know? I'll reread this again in a bit as a last check over.
> 
> Feedback me, please?
> 
> PS. RATING UPGRADE next chapter. Wooooo! Stay tuned, lovelies!

**Author's Note:**

> I edit all of my own work, so please feel free to let me know if I have any mistakes! Pleeeeeease!
> 
> I also made a Google doc with information about my world for those who are completely unfamiliar with the Bioshock universe. It should contain no spoilers for my plot, and it is all about the terms and finer details that are difficult to explain or things you might need to be reminded of each update. :)


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